


What Happened in the Forest

by rubberduckz84



Series: Twilight Reporter Series [2]
Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: Action, F/M, Mystery, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:27:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 59,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21645220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rubberduckz84/pseuds/rubberduckz84
Summary: When Mara Winslow finally makes it onto the crime desk at The Seattle Times and is sent off to cover her first big story - a spat of mysterious deaths happening in the forest surrounding Forks. However, the more she digs into it and the more she gets to know the locals both in town and on the nearby reservation in La Push, the more she realizes that the world is not as black and white as she once thought it was. There is far more lurking in the shadows than even she could dream of.
Relationships: Embry Call/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Twilight Reporter Series [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1556449
Comments: 2
Kudos: 35





	1. The Assignment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mara has a strange talent that comes in handy as she's covering a string of strange animal attacks in Forks. However, the local police are stonewalling her, until a friendly deputy decides to take pity on her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own any of the characters or previous story from Twilight, but I do own the original characters and this story.
> 
> Setting: Post-books/movies  
> Pairing: Embry/OC  
> Genre: Drama/Romance/Mystery/Action  
> Rating: M (Language, Sexual Situations, Mention of violence)

Mara sighed as she glanced around the diner. There were only a handful of people there as the lunch rush had ended an hour ago. She was on her second cup of coffee since finishing her chicken salad and the waitress had already given her more than one pointed look, as did the few folks still hanging around.

She supposed the polite thing to do would have been to leave and go work from the privacy of her motel room, but she needed to be out in the town. It was the only way she’d get a feel for things. Get a sense of how people were dealing with the recent tragedies. Though from the looks of things, they were more concerned about her presence than the three hikers who died.

Forks was a small town, so Mara wasn’t surprised by the looks. She was an outsider and she was sure that everyone knew her name, or at the very least what she was there for. She looked down at her open laptop, staring at the blank email. She had been there for almost a full day and still didn’t have much, earning her several angry text messages from her editor, Richard. He wanted a story and he wanted it now. But the local police were stonewalling her and refusing to give her any information.

It was just animal attacks, the local police chief had told her this morning after she finally met him face-to-face. That was followed by, “We’re not talking to press right now,” before he sent her on her way after she had sat outside his office waiting to speak to him for nearly two hours.

“Animal attacks, my ass,” she muttered.

Sighing, she grabbed her notebook and flipped through it, reading the notes she had. Most of it were her own ideas as to what could be going on. A few general comments on the town itself. Mara couldn’t help but feel a chill as she drove back to the motel last night after her first failed meeting at the station. The forest that surrounded Forks had a bit of an ominous feeling, though she wasn’t sure if it was the dark or the fact that she knew three people had died in it  over the past few weeks.

This was her first big story for The Seattle Times and she was determined to do well, even though it wasn't much of a story. She wanted to do well for the families of the victims – telling the victims’ stories was part of the reason she wanted to be a crime reporter after all - but she also had something to prove. To herself. To her boss. Without it, she was sure to be back writing up the police blotter. Or worse - sent back to the gen news desk writing about town hall meetings and other mundane, boring topics. This was her chance to finally prove to her editor that she could handle stories with some substance.

And to finally try to move out of her father's shadow.

But in order to do that, she needed to prove that there was something strange going on in the small town. As soon as Richard mentioned it in the budget meeting, she got a feeling in her gut there was something there. The other reporters had laughed at her when she immediately volunteered to go, but Richard was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. He told her to check it out. If it was nothing, she would need come straight back.

_ “Suppose it’s something you can get your feet wet with… should be straightforward…” _

If only she could get her hands on the damn coroner’s reports. At least then she would have something besides a weird feeling to prove these weren’t just your run-of-the-mill animal attacks.

As if on cue, her phone buzzed. She looked over at it, frowning as she saw her editor’s name flash on the screen. Sighing, she answered, looking around the diner as she tried to keep her voice down.

“Hey, Richard,” she said breezily, steeling herself for what was sure to be a tongue-lashing.

“I’m still waiting on your update. You’ve been there since last night. What’s going on?” he growled.

“I sent you an update an hour ago,” Mara said, fiddling with her pen.

“Yea, and it basically said nothing,” Richard replied.

“Look, the local police chief is giving me the runaround. He wasn’t in when I stopped by yesterday and he shut me down this morning. But just give me a little more time, I swear once I get the coroner’s reports, I’ll have something-”

“Do you or do you not want to keep working the crime desk?” Richard demanded.

“I can do this,” Mara said, a steely look coming into her eyes.

“Then get me more fucking information, Mara,” he said. “I don’t care if you have to stake out the chief’s home, you will get the information and find out if this is worth our time.”

“It is,” Mara insisted. “I can feel-”

“Yea, yea, I know. You feel it,” Richard retorted. “Try a little less feeling and more reporting. You don’t have your dad’s chops for me to trust your ‘feelings’ just yet. If you can’t do this, then I’m not above calling you back and sending Simmons in. He would have found out more by now anyway.”

“I got it,” Mara said, her heart dropping a bit. “You don’t need to call Simmons.”

“You’ve got 24 hours. If you can’t make it worth my time by then, I’m pulling you out,” he said. “Get it done.”

“Yes, sir,” Mara said, though Richard had already hung up. Sighing, she put the phone down and dropped her head into her hands, running her fingers through her long, dark brown hair.

“Get a grip, Mara,” she muttered to herself, as she looked back at the screen. She had 24 hours to get the chief or someone in the police department to talk to her. She mentally started going through her options. She would keep going to the police station and demanding to speak with the chief and see the reports. Perhaps she could scope out the other deputies and find one who was sympathetic. There was also a local library. It was small, but she could get some of the town history. They hadn’t released the names of the victims but surely if she hung out at the few coffee shops and diners in town, she could figure that out by listening into conversations.

Of course, all of this would be easier if she had cooperation from the police.

She was hitting a brick wall and she couldn’t help but wonder what her father would have done. He always had a knack for finding the most hidden of secrets. It was what had made him such a good investigative reporter.

“Excuse me,” a male voice said, causing her to jump slightly. Mara looked up into the blue eyes of a tall blonde man around her age. He was smiling down at her and seemed friendly, which was odd. So far everyone had gone out of their way to avoid her. While dressed casually in jeans and a plaid button-up under a jacket, she could tell he kept in shape. He also looked vaguely familiar. “Couldn’t help but overhear… you wouldn’t by chance be that reporter from Seattle, would you?” Mara smiled tensely and nodded.

“Mara Winslow,” she said, holding her hand out. “Suppose I stick out around here.”

“Mike Newton,” he replied, shaking it. “And you do a bit.” As soon as he let go, he sat across from her. Mara closed her laptop, unsure of why he was speaking to her. “Running into trouble with the police?”

“Yea, you could say that. They don’t seem to be very forthcoming with information about the recent attacks,” she replied, glancing down at her notebook.

“Seems to be the way they go. Forks isn’t really open to outsiders,” he said, leaning back in the booth. Mara frowned.

“This has happened before?” she asked.

“This isn’t the first spat of weird animal attacks, yea,” he replied. “Though I was in high school the last time it happened. A lot of crazy animals in the woods. Think they said it was bear attacks or something...” Mara reached for her notepad and pen.

“When was that?” she asked, glancing up at him.

“Around 2006 or 2007,” Mike said, a look of contemplation coming over his face. Mara quickly scribbled something down and then stopped, looking up at him.

“Why are you telling me this?” she asked. Mike shrugged.

“You were looking a bit down, so I thought maybe I could help,” he replied. “Not to mention, it sounded like the conversation with your boss didn’t go so well from your end of it.”

“You want to help me?” she asked, not quite believing it.

“You seem like a trusting person,” he said, smiling warmly. “And, well, you don’t seem like the type of reporter to exploit a story.” Mara sighed and smiled.

“To be honest, my editor just said that if I don’t get something more in 24 hours, he’s going to call me back to Seattle and send someone else,” she said. “I could use all the help I can get.”

“Well then, Mara Winslow, let’s see what I can do,” he said. “I’m Forks born and raised, so I’m sure there’s something I can help with.”

“Can you get me copies of the police reports?” she asked wryly. Mike chuckled.

“I don’t know about that, but I could probably put a good word in with the chief,” he said. Mara frowned.

“How do you plan to do that?” she asked. “I’m pretty sure he hates me.”

“You don’t recognize me, do you?” he asked, amused.

“Should I?” Mara asked. Mike glanced down at his hands and then back up at her.

“I work in the police station. Deputy. I saw you when you came in yesterday, though today is my day off,” he said. Mara’s eyes widened as she blushed slightly, embarrassed that she hadn’t caught that. She always thought she was an observant person, but she had been so focused on getting into the chief that she didn’t notice anyone all that much. Though she then realized she must have seen him in passing – that’s why he looked familiar.

“Sorry about that. I tend to have a one-track mind sometimes,” she said.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “I don’t know if I can get you those reports, but if it helps, I can show you around the accident scenes. If we leave now, we can get to at least one and back to town before it gets dark.”

“You would do that?” she asked. “Isn’t that against some sort of police protocol?” Mike shrugged.

“Chief Swan would probably be angry if I gave you the reports without permission, but I don’t see any harm in taking you out there. We’ve already picked up everything there was to be found and the sites have been opened again. Not that many people are out hiking at the moment,” he said.

Mara started smiling as relief filled her. It wasn’t much, but it was something.

“Ah, sure. Let me pack my stuff up,” she said quickly, grabbing her laptop. She quickly threw everything into her bag, tossed some money on the table, and stood at the same time Mike did.

“And just to save my ass, everything is off the record,” he said, glancing down at her. “And I hope you’ve got comfortable shoes. It’s a bit of a hike.”

Mara glance down at her feet, glad that she had thought to put on a pair of hiking boots that morning. She barely got out into the forests since her father died when she was 15, but still kept a pair around just in case. Seemed they’d finally come in handy again.

_ You always need a sturdy pair of boots, Mars Bar… _

“I know my way around a hiking trail,” she commented, shaking the memory away as they walked out and she headed to her small SUV. “I’ll just follow you?”

“Sounds good,” Mike called out as he walked over to a newer truck. Mara quickly climbed into her car, tossing her bag into the front seat as she buckled in, then turned it on. Music immediately filled the car as she pulled out and followed Mike.

“I’ll get you your damn information,” she said, smiling to herself.

~~~

Mara frowned as she looked around the clearing, taking in her surroundings. She wrapped her arms around her as a chill went down her spine. It was a warm day for fall even though it was overcast, but as soon as she stepped into the area, it was as though the temperature had dropped suddenly. She wished she had thought to grab her thicker coat from her backseat rather than run out there in just her leather jacket. Even the hoodie underneath didn’t provide much warmth.

Something felt wrong. She couldn’t explain it, but the air around the clearing felt thick and heavy. She glanced around, getting the feeling that something sinister was lurking just beyond the branches. Watching her.

It was the same feeling she had gotten when she walked into her house that night. The night she discovered her father’s body in the study. It’s how she knew the truth about his death.

Pushing the memory aside, she slowly started walking the perimeter, her sight set on the center where Mike had told her the body had been found.

“You seem to be into this. You got some reporter spidey sense?” Mike asked. Mara glanced over at him, offering a slight smile.

“No. Just getting a feeling for what the victim’s final moments must have been like. Helps me write the story,” she said, starting to walk towards the center of the clearing. “Granted it’s all conjecture at this point. I’d have more to go off of if I had those reports or photos.”

She stopped in the middle and looked over at him expectantly. Mike rolled his eyes and sighed.

“You didn’t get it from me, but… they had these weird bite marks,” he said. Mara’s eyes widened as she dropped down into a crouch, studying the ground.

“Weird how?” she asked.

“I certainly didn’t recognize what type they were, but then again, these are the first animal attacks I’ve seen in person,” Mike said. “It wasn’t pretty.”

Mara looked around the ground, seeing faint traces of blood left on the leaves and underbrush.

“Must have been bloody,” she said.

“Yea,” he said vaguely. He stepped towards her. “You’re seriously not weirded out by this?” Mara shook her head.

“Not the first crime scene I’ve seen,” she said, straightening up, though she continued looking at the ground. She took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of pine, wet leaves, and something else. It was a musty and vaguely smelled of rotten fruit. Mara wrinkled her nose slightly, as she recognized it immediately. It only confirmed her gut feeling that the death that took place here was intentional and not some random animal attack.

She had never told anyone about the feeling she got whenever she went near a crime scene. The first time it had happened was with her father but she didn’t understand it at the time. Once she got older, she had written it off as some sort of weird reaction to the trauma. But then when she shadowed a crime reporter in high school, and then again in university, the same feeling and smell had appeared whenever she walked near a murder scene. It happened enough that she knew it wasn’t just something in her head. She wondered if perhaps her father had the same thing and that's what had made him so good at his job.

It was crazy when she thought about it too much or said it out loud to herself. Who would ever believe that she could sense when someone was murdered?

“Right. Crime reporter and all,” Mike said.

“Something like that,” she replied, not wanting to get into the details. “Can you at least tell me an approximate time of death?”

Mike shrugged.

“It’s anyone’s guess. All I know is they were discovered anywhere between a day and three days, give or take, after they died judging from the decomp. Lucky we found them when we did. There are a lot of trails around here. If they had been farther out, it could have been weeks or months,” he replied. Mara nodded.

“And there was nothing at all to suggest this could have been anything other than an animal attack?” she asked. Mike chuckled.

“You are going to get me in trouble, Mara Winslow,” he said. “As far as I can say, there wasn’t anything. But they were strange, I’ll give you that. Whatever did this was pretty strong.”

“What made them strange?” she asked, stepping towards him.

“Again, can’t really share that,” he said. Mara started chewing on her bottom lip as she looked out around the forest again. She heard something, causing her to whip her head around.

“Did you hear that?” she asked. Mike looked over into the direction she was staring in.

“Probably just some animals,” he said. “Though might be a good idea to get back to town. Certainly would not want to run into whatever’s been killing those hikers if it’s hanging around.”

Mara nodded as she moved to follow him back down the trail towards where they had parked.

“Are these attacks anything like the ones that happened before?” she asked, looking up at him. He had a few inches on her.

“Maybe,” he said. “I’d have to look at the old reports to be sure. But, really, animal attacks are not uncommon around here. Not sure why The Times is interested.” Mara smiled slightly.

“Suppose it’s just a hunch,” she said. “My editor mentioned something about animal attacks in a budget meeting and I volunteered to check it out. Probably the most woodsy of the bunch, anyway. My family used to go camping a lot.”

“You do have reporter spidey sense,” he said, smiling down at her.

“Again, not a spidey sense, just… seems like it could be something. Regardless, I think the families at least deserve to know the truth,” she said. “Even if it’s just animal attacks.”

Mike studied her, his curiosity piquing. She was interesting and unlike most people in Forks. He knew that Chief Swan would probably yell at him once he found out he was helping her, but he also felt that there was something strange about the whole situation. The chief had been insisting it was just animals and they were to focus on tracking down the creature causing them rather than looking into the actual deaths themselves.

He wanted to know if the chief was covering something up just as much as Mara and figured the best way to do that was to help her.

“So… what’s your next move?” he asked.

“Keep working the chief,” Mara replied. “Spend some time around the locals, see if I can get the names of the victims, at least. Talk to their families. They’ll probably only tell me what the chief has told them, but I could at least learn about the hikers who died. Get their stories out. Probably spend some time going through old news articles as well.”

“Seems like a decent start,” he replied. “And I can see if there is anything I can do to wear down the chief.”

Mara smiled as they reached their cars. She reached into her back pocket and pulled out a card, handing it over to him.

“Thanks, I appreciate it,” she said. “Here’s my number if you come up with anything.”

“No problem,” he replied, taking the card and looking down at it.

“I should get back to my motel. Need to send off another update,” she said.

“See you around, Mara,” Mike said, waving as he walked over to his truck.

“See you.”


	2. A Chance Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Embry finds a strange scent in the forest while running a patrol, while Mara finally catches a break with Chief Swan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own any of the characters or previous story from Twilight, but I do own the original characters and this story.
> 
> Setting: Post-books/movies  
> Pairing: Embry/OC  
> Genre: Drama/Romance/Mystery/Action  
> Rating: M (Language, Sexual Situations, Mention of violence)

Embry lifted his head as he stiffed at the air. They had been running for a bit, but he slid to a stop when an unfamiliar scent reached his nose. It was out of place in that area of the forest and reminded him of lavender. It was intoxicating and he found himself staring longingly in the direction it was coming from, eager to find the source.

_ You got something?  _ he heard Quil say in his head. He looked over at him.

_ Something smells different. You smell lavender?  _ he asked. An odd tingling sensation filled his body as he started jogging towards the smell. It was coming from the direction of one of the accident sites.

_ I don’t smell anything but the same trail left by the damn bloodsucker,  _ Quil replied, taking off after him.  _ Granted it’s finally starting to wear off. Made me gag when we first came out here. _

Embry was silent as he continued running, moving much faster through the trees on four legs than he could on just two. Ever since word broke out of the first attack, Sam and Jacob had the packs out every day searching. It had been a long time since they had anything strange happen around Forks. Not since the newborn army attacked and the Volturi came after Renesmee. But as soon as Chief Swan had seen the first victim, he immediately called Jacob and asked him to look into it. He still didn’t know about the existence of vampires, but he knew enough to see that this wasn’t your average animal attack.

When the second and third hiker had been found, Charlie said he would keep the locals thinking it was a bear or something if Jacob and the others would take care of what actually was killing the hikers. He seemed a bit relieved with the need-to-know arrangement and that he wouldn’t have to face whatever was lurking in the woods himself.

As soon as they had arrived at the first site, immediately the packs knew what was behind it. The clearing reeked of vampire. But the trail had gone cold at the ocean’s edge. Every night they ran perimeter checks, but still they hadn’t been able to locate the damn thing. Sam and Jacob had already been discussing bringing the Cullens in – they had been in Vancouver for two years now while Nessie went to college – but Jacob was determined to try and handle the situation themselves, telling the Cullens not to worry about it.

Embry was tired. Between juggling patrols, work, and his online courses, he was barely getting enough sleep. If things kept up like this much longer, he was worried his grades would drop and it would jeopardize his transfer to the University of Washington in the spring.

_ You’ll be fine,  _ Quil said, sensing his thoughts.  _ This won’t last forever. And you always were one of the smart ones. _

Embry offered him a wolfy smile as they slowed down. There were voices coming from the clearing.

_ Thought the police cleared this place,  _ Embry thought.

_ They did. Doesn’t sound like police,  _ Quil replied.

The scent of lavender was stronger as they quietly moved closer, but stayed hidden among the trees, the voices becoming more prominent. It was a man and a woman. Along with the scent, the tingling intensified.

_ You seriously don’t smell that? Or feel that?  _ Embry said.

_ I don’t smell or feel anything,  _ Quil replied. Embry cocked his head to the side, trying to hear what they were saying.

“Though might be a good idea to get back to town. Certainly would not want to run into whatever’s been killing those hikers,” the man said. Embry immediately recognized it as belonging to the annoying blonde deputy. Mike.

Both Embry and Quil were still, waiting for them to leave the clearing and head down the trail before stepping into it.

_ They were humans, whoever they were,  _ Quil said, sniffing around. Embry froze as soon as his paw touched the ground, the scent suddenly overwhelming. The tingling only grew and it was now accompanied by a buzzing in his ears.  _ You okay? _

_ Yea, fine,  _ Embry replied, starting to feel lightheaded.

_ Liar. I’m in your head, idiot,  _ Quil said.

_ I’m sure it’s fine. Let’s head back,  _ Embry said, turning and starting to run back to the reservation. Quil watched him a moment before taking off after him.

_ That was weird… _

~~~

Mara sighed as she walked into her motel room later, a bag of fast food in one hand and a large file of photocopies from the library in the other. They had managed to get into town with a couple hours before it closed and she had spent the time going through old newspapers articles, pulling anything and everything she could on strange attacks or disappearances in the area.

She sat everything down on the table and pulled her bag off, sitting in one of the chairs. Looking around the room, she took in the pristine condition. The maids must have been in while she was out. She’d have to remember to put the “Do Not Disturb” sign before she left tomorrow. She did not want them coming in and seeing whatever she was working on.

She pulled off her coat and tossed it on the queen size bed before walking over and turning on the TV, quickly changing it to a local channel to catch the news. Mara thought over everything she had gathered that day, trying to decide what she was going to tell Richard. She obviously couldn’t tell him that at least one of the deaths was a murder - not without hard evidence. But she could mention that these weren’t the first odd cases and pass on the information that Mike had given her.

It wasn’t much, but it was more than she had the last time she spoke with him. She prayed it was enough to keep her in Forks.

She had just pulled out the hamburger and fries from the greasy bag when her phone went off from her jacket pocket. Mara paused, looking over at it. She was worried it was Richard again, unhappy that she hadn’t sent another update yet. Either way, she would need to face him so she trudged across the room and pulled her phone out. Her eyebrows rose as she saw it was an unregistered number.

“Mara Winslow,” she said, answering it.

“Good, I got you. You hungry?” Mike asked brightly. Mara looked over at the hamburger and soggy fries, her eyebrows raised. She was surprised to hear from him so soon after their trip to the woods. But surely whatever he had in mind was more appetizing than fast food. Not to mention, she figured she could get more information out of the deputy. Especially if there was alcohol involved.

“What did you have in mind?” she asked.

“Meet me at Riley’s BBQ Joint in 30 minutes,” he said. “It’s just off the highway at the edge of town.”

“Kind of short notice for a date,” Mara replied, surprised by his boldness. Mike chuckled.

“Trust me, you want to meet me for dinner,” he said. “Don’t be late.” He then hung up. Mara stared at the phone a moment, unsure of what exactly had just happened, but was determined to make sure that the deputy knew she was here to work - not date. She had to maintain her focus.

Before she could put her phone down, it started ringing again, the name Kates appearing. Mara glanced at the time and answered. Better get the daily chat with her best friend out of the way.

“Hey, Kates. Gotta make it quick. I need to be somewhere in 30 minutes,” she said.

“Good! You’re getting somewhere with the story?” Katie gushed.

“Well… sort of,” Mara said, starting to pull out the elastic that held her wavy hair up in a bun.

“What do you mean, sort of?” Katie asked.

“Well, this guy – local guy – came up to me after lunch at the diner and said he’d help me,” she said. “He wants to meet me for dinner.”

“Oh my god, you’re going on a date!” Katie shouted, causing Mara to wince as she pulled the phone slightly from her ear. Katie had a volume issue, especially when excited. Which was about 90 percent of the time.

“It’s not a date,” Mara said immediately. “He’s a deputy. This is work and only work.”

“You don’t sound so sure there,” Katie replied, laughing. “Is he hot?”

“He’s decent,” Mara admitted. Katie squealed, causing Mara to wince again, pulling the phone from her ear. “I’m here for work!”

“Yea, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have some fun in your off time,” Katie replied. Mara rolled her eyes.

“You know how important this story is,” she said.

“I know, I know. But you aren’t working 24/7. Go out and get some,” Katie said.

“I am definitely not here for that,” Mara said, deadpan.

“It’s been MONTHS since you broke up with what’s-his-name and you were only with him, what? Two weeks? It’s about time you hopped back up on that damn horse,” Katie said.

“I’m here for work,” Mara said again.

“Mar… please! For me! Go out and have fun with Deputy Hottie,” Katie shouted. “You’re going to need stories like this someday for your memoir after you win your Pulitzer!”

“First of all, no one said anything about Pulitzers-”

“Oh, shut up. It’s in your blood,” Katie retorted.

“Whatever. I’m going. He didn’t really give me a choice. Kind of hung up after telling me when and where to meet him,” Mara said.

“Ooo, he’s got initiative. I like him,” Katie said. Mara rolled her eyes again.

“Look, I gotta go,” she said.

“Fill me in on your date later,” Katie sang.

“I will, but still not a date,” Mara said.

“Love you, lady,” Katie replied.

“Love ya, too. Bye,” Mara said before hanging up. She tossed her phone on the bed and looked over at her open suitcase before glancing down at her attire. She felt a bit dusty after the trip to the woods and the library. Whether or not it was a date, she could use a change of clothes, she thought as she walked over to the suitcase and started digging through it

Besides, wouldn’t hurt to look nice for the deputy.

~~~

Mara clicked the car locked as she turned and looked up at the blazing red sign. She hadn’t been sure what to wear but figured anything with BBQ in the name wouldn’t be all that fancy. She had pulled on a pair of ripped jeans and plain white t-shirt with an oversized grey cardigan. She left her hair down and nervously gripped her purse on her shoulder as she walked towards the entrance.

Mike was leaning against the hood of his truck near the door. He pushed off and smiled as she stepped up to him.

“Good, you’re on time,” he said.

“I do know my way around a deadline,” she said, smiling in return. She looked over at the restaurant. “This place any good?”

“Best BBQ in the area,” Mike said, offering her his arm. Mara tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and nervously accepted it. Great. Now he really would think it was a date. “And… it’s where Chief Swan and his wife eat three nights a week, including tonight.”

Mara’s eyes widened as she looked up at him, while he led her through the door.

“That’s why you invited me,” she stated, starting to smile. Mike shrugged.

“Figured we could orchestrate a little run-in. See where it goes from there,” he replied. “Especially since I’ve told you everything I can at this point.”

“I think I might like you, Mike Newton,” she said.

“Good,” he said. They walked up to the hostess, who asked if they just had two people. Mike nodded in agreement and looked around the restaurant.

“Over by the window looks good,” he said, smiling at the hostess. She sighed and pulled out two menus, leading them over to an open table.

“Mike?”

The couple stopped and looked over as they were about to sit, seeing the chief and a woman staring up at them in surprise. As soon as he saw Mara, he immediately frowned.

“Chief,” Mike said with a smile. “Sure you remember Mara Winslow. This is the chief's wife, Sue.”

“Mara is a reporter from Seattle,” Chief Swan said, clearly not happy. Sue glanced at her husband and then over at Mara, offering her a hesitant smile.

“Nice to meet you, Mara. I hope you’re enjoying Forks,” she said.

“It’s a lovely town,” Mara said, mustering up the friendliest smile she could. If she couldn’t win over the chief, then maybe she would start on his wife.

“So, this is how you spend your day off, Newton?” Swan said, an eyebrow raised. “Thought I warned you all.”

“We’ve just been getting to know each other. Nothing else,” Mike said. “Thought someone should live up to the cliché that small towns are friendly.” Sue looked at her husband, frowning slight as he sighed heavily.

“Why don’t you two join us,” Sue said, looking back at the couple. Mara smiled at her, sensing something warm in the woman’s eyes.

“We couldn’t intrude,” Mara said quickly, somehow remembering her manners.

“Nonsense, you’re not intruding. Mike is right. We are pretty friendly here,” Sue replied, shooting a look at Charlie, who just rolled his eyes. Mike held out a chair for her and then took the open one to her side next to the chief.

“How long have you been in town?” Sue asked, looking at Mara.

“I got in yesterday. Tried to meet with the chief then, but he was already out for the day,” Mara said. “Pretty sure he’s already shared with you why I’m here.” Mara glanced over at him as he kept his eyes focused on the menu. Sue chuckled as she also looked at him.

“Not sure why a big paper from Seattle would be interested in anything that goes on in Forks,” Sue said.

“Guess you could say I got a hunch,” Mara replied, picking up the menu. “Seems a bit strange, the attacks.”

“We get a lot of animal attacks out here,” Sue said. “Sure this time is no different.” Mara glanced at her and then over at the chief, trying to get a good read on them. “You from Seattle originally?”

“Kind of? My parents are originally, but they met in LA and I was born there. They moved back up to Seattle to be closer to family when I was pretty little,” Mara replied.

“Ah, so you have a lot of family around here,” Sue said, studying Mara.

“Some. On my mom’s side, I’ve got my aunt and her family. But dad’s side, they’ve all died or moved away,” Mara replied. “Though I might have a distant cousin or two in Port Gamble…”

“The reservation?” Sue asked.

“Yep,” Mara replied as she looked over the menu, not wanting to get into too many personal details. She hated the looks people gave her when they found out her father was dead. “So… what’s good here?”

“Brisket’s nice,” Chief Swan said, clearly annoyed with her presence.

“Guess I’ll try that,” Mara said with a smile. She looked over at Sue. “Are you all born and raised here?”

“Well, I grew up on the reservation – La Push,” she said. “Moved over to Forks when Charlie and I got married a few years ago. His family has been in Forks a few generations.”

“Must be nice, living in a town where you know everyone,” Mara said, venturing a glance at the chief.

“It’s all I know,” he said. “Same with Mike. He graduated with my daughter.”

“That’s nice. She still around here?” Mara asked.

“No. She moved to Canada with her husband and his family a couple years ago,” Chief Swan said. Mara nodded her head slowly, tucking the information away. She wasn’t sure if she’d need it, but it never hurt to know as much about the police chief as she could. The server stepped up and they ordered.

“How is it living in Seattle?” Sue asked after the server walked away.

“I like it,” Mara replied. “Though I don’t live in downtown or anything. My grams left me her house out in the suburbs, so I moved in there during college. It’s not as busy, but still not so far from everything. And it butts up again some forest land, so I still get a bit nature.”

“Keep meaning to get down there more,” Sue said with a sigh as she looked at Charlie. “But this one doesn’t know how to take a vacation.

“Not like I have a choice at the moment,” Charlie said.

“I know the feeling,” Mara said. “Reporter life doesn’t come with many days off.”

“You always worked the crime desk?” Mike asked. Mara shook her head.

“I started on it about a year ago. I was gen news before that,” she said. “But I always wanted to be on the crime desk.”

“So you’re drawn to crime?” the chief asked, watching her.

“Ah, my dad was an investigative reporter,” she said, thinking it would be okay to give them that much at least. She needed to get on the chief’s good side someway. “He always told me that the most important story for a crime reporter was the truth. Someone needs to make sure it gets out.”

The chief was quiet, though Mara could see a change in his eyes.

“Wise words,” Sue replied. Mara shrugged.

“I always thought so,” she said.

“Your mother a reporter too?” Sue asked.

“No, she teaches history at the University of Washington,” she said. “Though she’s been published in a lot of journals for her work.”

“Seems writing runs in the family,” Sue said.

“Suppose so,” Mara replied. “And the desire to help others.”

“Isn’t that why we got into our line of work, Chief? To help others?” Mike asked, smiling at him. Chief Swan sighed and looked over at his deputy, knowing exactly what he was doing.

“Yes,” he said reluctantly.

“See? Mara’s not all that different from us,” Mike said before grabbing a rib and biting into it. There was an air of awkward silence for a few moments as the group ate.

“So… where did you go to school?” Sue asked, finally breaking it.

The conversation picked up from there, turning to lighter topics and soon Mara found herself enjoying the food and the company, even if the chief was still mostly silent. Sue was good a diffusing tension and it seemed the two shared a love of cooking and cooking shows. 

But all too quickly, the night was coming to an end as the food disappeared.

“Well, I don’t know about you all, but I think it’s time to call it a night. Mike and I have work early tomorrow,” Charlie said, looking over at the blonde man.

“Of course,” Mike said. Mara started to reach for the check, but Mike swatted her hand away.

“I got this. I was the one who invited you out, after all,” he said with a smile as he pulled out some cash and left it in the leather book.

“Thanks,” Mara said, standing. The four made their way outside.

“It was lovely to meet you,” Mara said, turning to Sue. “And I’ll be sure to send you that cobbler recipe.” The older woman pulled her into a hug, surprising her.

“Appreciate it. Good to meet you too. How long you in town?” she asked. Mara stepped back and shrugged.

“Not sure,” she replied.

“Well, we should have you over to dinner one of these nights,” she said.

“I’d like that,” Mara said. She then turned to Charlie. “As always, good to see you, Chief Swan.” He nodded and glanced at Sue, then sighed.

“Come by in the morning… I suppose it wouldn’t hurt if you had some of those reports,” he said reluctantly. Mara grinned.

“Thanks, Chief,” she said. Charlie waved his hand.

“Well, you’re going to write something regardless. Might as well make sure you’ve got the right information… And I might be able to see if some of the families will talk to you. But I’m not making any promises,” he replied.

Mara couldn’t help the relief that flooded through her.

“I appreciate it,” she said. “Good night.” The couple walked over to a truck and climbed in as Mike walked Mara back to her car.

“It’s not that late. If you’re interested, there’s a bar in town. It’s not much, but good enough for a beer,” he said, smiling down at her. Mara looked up at him, contemplating what she wanted to do. Katie would likely ream her out for turning down the drink. But at the same time, she wanted to get started digging into the news articles. She had only skimmed through them in the library.

“Rain check?” she asked. “I should prep for the interview… in case it happens.” Mike nodded.

“Sure. Probably shouldn’t be out late with work tomorrow and all, anyway,” he said.

“But really, thank you. You may have just saved my job,” she said, holding her hand out. “And for dinner.”

“Anytime,” Mike said, shaking it.

“I suppose I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yea, tomorrow,” he said. He then stepped back as she climbed into the front seat of her car and buckled in. With one last wave, she started it and pulled out, heading towards the motel just down the way.

She couldn’t help but grin as music pumped through the car.

Finally, she was getting somewhere.


	3. The Locals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Mara is slowly making headway in the story, Chief Swan worries he made the right decision by giving her more information. Meanwhile, the wolves still haven't located the rogue vampire and Embry worries that the situation will keep him from finally leaving La Push.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own any of the characters or previous story from Twilight, but I do own the original characters and this story.
> 
> Setting: Post-books/movies  
> Pairing: Embry/OC  
> Genre: Drama/Romance/Mystery/Action  
> Rating: M (Language, Sexual Situations, Mention of violence)

Charlie looked over at the clock on his desk, noticing that the reporter was going to walk in any minute. He had given the receptionist Carla orders to let her back this time, shocking her. He was shocked himself.

To say that Charlie Swan was concerned would be an understatement. From the very beginning, he knew that it wasn’t an ordinary animal. After seeing the first body, he immediately went out to La Push and spoke with Billy and Jacob, who then called in Sam. He was still murky on a lot of the details surrounding the wolf packs and whatever else was out there, but he knew whatever this was, it was something they were better adapted to take care of than the Forks police. He kept up the appearances of an investigation and hunt for some large animal, but ultimately it was all a smokescreen until the wolves could take care of it.

He sighed, glancing down at the photo of Bella, Edward, and Renesmee. They were safe in Vancouver with the rest of the Cullens. At least that was one less thing for him to worry about, what with the reporter snooping around.

He didn’t want to let her in on the case, but he could tell from talking to her last night that she wasn’t going to give up. And even if she went back to Seattle, someone else would be sent in her stead. Even Sue agreed. It was better to work with her. At least that way he could control what information she got. Once the packs took care of the creature, he could feed her evidence that it was a rabid bear or cougar and she would move on to the next story.

Blasted Mike and his meddling. If he hadn’t spoken to her, he could have probably gotten by without getting her involved. But that didn’t matter now. The damage was done and all he could hope to do was control it and keep an eye on her. At least the folks in town were wary of her. Less chance they’d blab something.

He glanced up, seeing Carla leading the reporter to his office. Sighing, he stood up and walked to the door, meeting them.

“Ms. Winslow is here,” Carla said. Charlie mustered a smile as Mara stepped in.

“Good to see you, Chief,” she said brightly.

“Have a seat, Ms. Winslow,” he said, motioning to a chair.

“Please, it’s Mara,” she said. “If we’re going to be working together, we can at least be on first name basis.”

“Fine, Mara. Let’s get started…”

~~~

Mike lounged at his desk, browsing through The Seattle Times on his computer. He was waiting for Chief Swan to tell them whatever their orders were for the day. Hardly anything exciting ever happened in Forks, so the entire department was focused on the hikers.

The others seemed to go along with the chief’s explanation that it was animal attacks and they had already spent hours out in the woods with rifles trying to hunt it down. Anytime he brought up how strange things were, they laughed and told him he was watching too much TV. Chief Swan was also spending a decent amount of time up at La Push, which Mike also found strange.

Now that the chief seemed to be open to talking to the reporter, he hoped he could share more information with her and see what she made of it.

He looked over and sat up as he saw Mara walk in, being led over to the chief’s office. He smiled as she glanced over at him, waving.

“How’d dinner go last night?” another deputy asked – Ryan Collins.

“Good,” Mike said, smiling at him. “She turned me down for another drink, but pretty sure that’ll happen soon enough.” He’d rather his co-workers think he was trying to score with her. He was sure they’d snitch if they knew what he was really up to.

“Can’t believe you put your neck out for her. She’s hot, I’ll give you that. But that little trick with ‘accidentally running into the chief and his wife at dinner’ could have backfired,” Ryan said. Mike shrugged.

“I knew it would work,” he said nonchalantly, watching through the windows as Mara sat across from the chief.

“She’s going back to Seattle after this, bro,” Ryan said.

“Still worth it. We don’t get much new blood in town,” Mike replied. Ryan laughed a bit louder.

“You are dreaming if you think she’s going to get involved with you,” he said. “Face it. She’s a newspaper reporter from Seattle.” Mike frowned slightly.

“You never know,” he said, looking over at Ryan. “Even reporters gotta take a break at some point.”

“You think he’s giving her the reports?” Ryan asked.

“He was already talking with the medical examiner when I got here,” Mike said. “They were going over the files. Probably redacting them.”

“What changed his mind?” Ryan asked, looking over at him.

“Said last night that she was going to write something anyway, so might as well have the right information,” he said.

“Suppose it makes sense,” Ryan said. Mike hummed his agreement as he pushed up out of his chair when Mara walked out of Chief Swan’s office smiling.

“I appreciate it,” she said to the chief as Mike walked over.

“They’re expecting you just before lunch,” the chief said, looking slightly uncomfortable. Mara looked over, seeing Mike walk up.

“Deputy Mike,” she said, smiling.

“Good to see you, Mara,” he said. “You off then?”

“Yea, I need to get some prep work done before I go talk to the Whites,” she said, holding a file of folders to her chest.

“Meet for lunch?” he asked.

“Ehm, can I let you know? I’m not sure how long the interview is going to last,” she said.

“No worries. Just give me a call,” he replied.

“Got it. See you later,” she said with a wave. She then turned and walked out of the station.

“Careful, Newton,” the chief said.

“What do you mean?” Mike asked, looking at him

“I told you that no one was to talk to her,” Chief Swan said, folding his arms across his chest.

“I didn’t tell her anything about the case,” Mike said, lying easily.

“But you toed the line,” Chief said.

“But you now see that she’s not a threat,” Mike countered, smiling slightly. Chief Swan sighed and rolled his eyes.

“Get back to work,” he said, turning and walking back into his office.

“Got it, Chief.”

~~~

Mara sat at the table in her room, going through the reports with a frown on her face. The chief had only given her reports for the first two deaths, saying the third wasn’t ready yet even though it had been nearly a week. Both were basically carbon copies of each other and read as though the medical examiner rushed through filling them out. She was curious as to whether he actually carried out a full postmortem before scribbling “accidental - animal attack” in the cause of death box.

Her suspicions were further raised when she took a closer at the body diagrams - some of the injuries were filled in with slightly different ink. Almost as if they were added in later.

Granted, she couldn’t prove it. There were no photos of the crime scenes or post mortems in the reports. All she had was the feeling she got at one scene. She needed to get out to the others.

Sighing, she put the documents aside and looked at her laptop where she had the first victim’s Facebook opened. His name was Nick White and he seemed to have had an active, happy life. She picked up her notebook and jotted down a few more questions that she wanted to ask the family. Glancing at the time, she knew she had about 30 more minutes before she needed to leave.

She then sat up and stretched, glancing down at the piles of paper spread out around the floor of her room. She had started sorting the articles, placing them in two different piles – normal and odd. So far there were about 10 to 15 animal attacks that she thought fell into the odd pile. And handful of curious disappearances, including one involving a New York Times reporter from a few years ago. She had been officially declared dead a few months later even though they never found a body. Mara found the entire thing strange, but there was also the caveat that she was an investigative reporter and the last story she had been working on involved a rather large, previously unknown crime organization. The only reason Mara kept it was because the car accident that supposedly killed her took place just a few miles outside of town.

It seemed there was much more to Forks than she had initially thought. Richard would be happy. He loved a good mystery and read just about everything written by Stephen King. Mara couldn’t help but think King would have a heyday writing creepy novels about Forks.

She stood and walked over, bending down to pick up the top story in the odd pile, skimming through it again. She had highlighted a few interesting bits. She wasn’t sure if the chief would give her any answers, but at least she could ask Mike about it.

She then walked back over to the table, looking down at the reports again. Frowning, she rifled through the papers, trying to find directions. She needed to get out to the other scenes. If the interview didn’t take long, she would have enough time to go to one. It was slightly crazy to go out alone with a homicidal maniac or deranged animal out there, but she figured she was relatively safe if she went during the day. She’d take some pepper spray.

Glancing at the clock again, Mara started gathering things up and packing them into her bag.

Time to get to work.

~~~

Nearly 24 hours later, and Embry still couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened the day before. He had laid in bed nearly all night staring at the ceiling trying to figure out what it was. He could still smell a lingering hint of lavender. Quil had told Jacob about it as soon as they got back and the two cornered him, but he didn’t want to discuss it.

As if he needed another thing on his mind. Between the move to Seattle, work, and the recent vampire attacks, there was a lot going on. It troubled him, along with everyone else. With the Cullens gone, they thought perhaps they would have a few vampire-free years, but it seemed with their absence, something else had taken the opportunity to move into the area. Something that the pack couldn’t seem to catch.

Sighing, Embry ran his fingers through his hair as he continued walking to Sam’s house, listing out everything he needed to get done that day, figuring it was something safer to focus on. After the meeting was more work. Then he would likely do what he did every day. Stay up late into the night working on homework and papers. Thankfully, he didn’t have patrol that night. Though he was worried dreams about the scent of lavender would keep him up again.

The closer he got to the house, the more he could hear the rest of the packs already there. He would need to hurry if he wanted any food. He trotted up to the porch and pushed the door open, stepping in.

“Good of you to join us,” Paul said from where he sat at the kitchen table, surrounded by large bodies as they scarfed down food.

“You know I had work,” he replied, sitting in the final open chair. “I only have an hour.”

“Then we should get started,” Jacob said as Embry started filling a plate. Sam walked up to his side as Emily sat more plates of food on the table. “We’re still patrolling the areas after lunch. Seth, you and Leah will take Site 2. Jared, you and Sam will be with me at Site 3. And Paul, Quil, and Embry will take Site 1.” Embry stopped filling his plate, glaring at him.

“I have to go back to work,” he said sternly.

“We’ve already cleared it with your boss. Said it was tribe business,” he replied. Embry rolled his eyes as he started to eat. Great. He’d be docked in pay again. Tuition was coming due and he needed the money.

“Why do we need to keep checking the sites? Whoever did it is long gone as far as we can tell,” Quil said, though he glanced cautiously at Embry, wondering if he should mention to the group what had happened yesterday.

“We need to stay on top of it – he’s been in the area three times already and there’s a chance he could come back,” Sam said, frowning at him. “Chief Swan came by again yesterday.”

“Anything new from him?” Paul asked.

“No. Just that there’s a reporter from Seattle snooping around,” Jacob said. “If you see her, tell her we’re helping hunt down an animal and send her back to town immediately. Besides the fact that she can’t know about us, it’s dangerous for anyone to be out there alone right now.” Quil snorted.

“Thought that was a given. What did you expect? That we’d phase in front of her?” he asked.

“Just, be careful,” Jacob urged. “I don’t know if she’s going to come up to the reservation, but we have to watch what we say. If anything, we need to use it to our advantage. If we get her writing that it’s animal attacks, then that will help sell the story to everyone else.”

“Sure, we can handle it,” Paul said, grinning.

The meeting continued, though Embry zoned out, his thoughts turning to his job as he started grumbling to himself. Jacob knew how badly he needed the money. He had spent the last couple of years saving up everything he could in preparation for finally leaving the reservation. Of course, just as he was about to make the move, a frickin’ vampire would show up.

He tuned in for a moment, hearing the others giving Quil yet another hard time about Claire. Embry sighed and turned his focus back to eating.

Yet another topic that was a sore spot. Imprinting. Embry was now the oldest in the pack to not imprint and the older he got, the more he was beginning to think it wouldn’t happen. In a way, he supposed it wasn’t such a bad thing. He would at least have the option to fall in love like a normal person. But at the same time, it hung over him. The idea that it could still happen kept him from getting into any serious relationships, worried that the same thing that had happened to Leah and Sam would happen to him. The last thing he wanted to do was inflict that kind of pain on someone else. It was getting rather lonely, in that sense. Watching as more and more couples were formed. It just made him want to leave the reservation even more.

He glanced up, meeting Jacob’s eyes across the room. He looked back down at his plate, shoveling food into his mouth quickly. If they were doing a patrol that afternoon, he would need the energy.

After he had finished eating and the meeting had ended, he stepped outside on the porch to wait for the others. They were now all locked into conversations about their girlfriends and plans for the upcoming weekend while Sam fawned over Emily, who was five months along with their first kid.

“It’ll happen, you know,” Jacob said, walking out after him. Embry looked over at his best friend and smiled.

“Says the man who imprinted eight years ago,” he replied.

“It’s not always easy after you do,” Jacob replied, grimacing slightly.

“Please, we both know it doesn’t take you long to get to Vancouver to see Nessie. You’re up there just as much as you are here,” Embry replied. “And you got lucky – she was full grown after seven years. Quil is still waiting. Still not sure how you two handle it - it’s weird.”

“It’s not easy having her so far away,” Jacob said with a sigh.

“At this point I’m thinking she’s not even born yet,” Embry replied. “Or it’s just not going to happen.”

“I told you, it’ll happen. Just… stop thinking about it so much,” Jacob said. “And we all get it. No one is going to give you a hard time.” Embry was quiet a few moments, nodding. “How are things coming for the move?”

“Good,” Embry replied. “Though I’m hoping we can catch this bloodsucker soon. It’s cutting into my study time. Are you guys sure we shouldn’t call in the Cullens? That tracker guy is living with them now. He’d probably make this a lot easier.” Jacob frowned.

“Demetri’s still connected to the Volturi and I’d rather not give them a reason to come back here,” he replied. “We’re saving the Cullens as a last resort.” Embry nodded and looked back out to the forest. “You want to talk about what happened yesterday?”

“I’m not sure what it was,” Embry said.

“You couldn’t stop thinking about lavender,” Jacob commented, thinking back to the short patrol the two had done together last night.

“Still think it’s strange that Quil couldn’t smell it. It was all over the clearing,” Embry replied. Jacob was silent a few moments.

“Maybe it has to do with imprinting,” he offered. Embry looked over at him.

“Was it like that for you?” Embry asked. He recalled hearing a woman’s voice yesterday before they left. Jacob shook his head.

“Though I suppose it could be a bit different for everyone,” he said.

“Whatever it was, I don’t really have time to dwell on it. Need to take care of this situation first. Besides, I’ll be off to Seattle in a few months anyway,” Embry said. “Though I’m sure Mom would love an excuse to keep me here.”

“You know she’s proud of you. You got into the University of Washington. And got scholarships. We’re all proud of you. And you know your mom will be well looked after while you’re gone,” Jacob said. Embry smiled.

“Thanks, man,” he said.

“No problem,” Jacob replied. “I better go get Quil and Paul. We should all head out.”

“Got it,” Embry said. Jacob turned and walked back into the house as Embry sighed.

“Just a few more months…”


	4. The Forest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While checking out another of the sites, Mara has an unexpected run-in with more of the locals and isn't sure what exactly this means.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own any of the characters or previous story from Twilight, but I do own the original characters and this story.
> 
> Setting: Post-books/movies  
> Pairing: Embry/OC  
> Genre: Drama/Romance/Mystery/Action  
> Rating: M (Language, Sexual Situations, Mention of violence)

Mara squatted down, staring at the spot in the middle of the clearing where the first body was found. The same heavy feeling covered the clearing as the putrid smell of death filled her nose. It had been another murder. There was a sinking feeling in the pit of Mara’s stomach as her thoughts turned to everything she had learned about the victim.

Nick White had been an avid hiker. He knew the woods and forests around Forks well, and it wasn’t unusual for him to go off by himself camping. That was why it had taken a few days to find him. His parents didn’t report him missing until he didn’t show up for work Monday morning, thinking he was out on a camping trip all weekend. The coroner thought he had died sometime on Saturday night, though they didn’t find him until the following Tuesday.

All the facts of his life ran through Mara’s head as she leaned over and touched the ground. He had graduated from Forks High School six years ago and then got a degree in geology. He returned to Forks afterwards to help with his family’s camping supply store. He loved the outdoors and nature as did his fiancé. They were supposed to get married later that year and had already built a quaint little cabin just outside town.

He had been a good and kind person. Well loved. And then his life had been cut tragically short that night in the woods. Mara felt tears prick in her eyes, though she quickly blinked them away. It wouldn’t do if she got too emotionally attached. She remembered that much from her father. He always told her that as a reporter, she needed to learn how to put her emotions aside.

She then stretched out, lying on the ground looking up. All sorts of things flew through her mind. Did he know that he was about to die? What did he think about in his final moments? Was the pain too strong for him to think of anything else or did he worry about the family and friends he would be leaving behind?

Mara’s thoughts then turned to her own past. Did her dad think about her in his final moments? Sighing, she couldn’t help the flow of thoughts, wondering how her life would have been different if they hadn’t lost him that night 10 years ago.

A rustling in the trees pulled her out of her memories as she quickly sat up looked around, her brow furrowed. Perhaps she shouldn’t have come out here alone. She scrambled to her feet as the feeling of being watched washed over her. Her heart rate sped up. She should have told someone that she was coming out here.

People were dying in these woods, after all.

There was more rustling as Mara felt the hair on her body start standing on end and a chill ran down her spine.

“Get a fucking grip,” Mara muttered to herself. “It’s probably just some animals.”

Scanning her surroundings, she started moving back towards the trail wishing she hadn’t left her pepper spray in the car. Whatever was coming, she wasn’t sure she wanted to stick around to see what it was.

Just as she was about to step out of the clearing, movement from the corner of her eye caught her attention. She spun around, noticing a young man around her age moving out of the trees. She froze, hoping this wasn’t the psycho killer. 

“Hey,” he called out, waving at her. She quickly assessed him, noticing that he was extremely tall and built, though there was a friendly smile on his face. At first glance, he didn’t look threatening in his shorts and t-shirt. Granted Ted Bundy hadn’t looked threatening either. And who wore shorts and t-shirts in the fall in Washington?

“Hey, yourself,” Mara called back, still keeping her distance as another man stepped out from the trees next to him. The newcomer seemed more concerned with looking back into the forest than at Mara.

Okay, one she could potentially outrun. But two? She hoped to god that these guys were just locals out making sure there were no hikers in the area.

“You know it’s not such a good idea to be out here by yourself,” the first said as there was more rustling from the trees behind the two men.

“I wasn’t planning to stay long,” she replied, shaking her head slightly as a buzzing started up. She glanced around, wondering if there was a beehive somewhere nearby.

“You okay?” the first man asked, taking a step towards her.

“Yea, fine,” she said. “Mind telling me who you are.”

“Ladies first,” he said, smirking.

“Mara Winslow. The Seattle Times,” she said. “I’m covering the recent attacks.” The man’s eyebrows shot up in recognition. Word must have spread fast.

“Paul Lahote,” he said. “From La Push.”

“That’s the reservation, right?” Mara asked, wincing slightly as the buzzing increased and there was more rustling. Before Paul could answer, a third man stepped out into the clearing, his eyes locking on Mara. She turned her head slightly to look at him and then froze as the buzzing increased and it seemed the world around her faded away as she met his eyes.

For a few moments, it was just the two of them as the buzzing suddenly dropped to a low hum. Mara’s heart began pounding as she got lost in the dark brown depths of his eyes. She took one step towards him. He wasn’t as tall as Paul, but taller than the second man. While he had similar cropped hair and was just as muscular as the other two, there was something about him that was softer. Gentler.

A zing ran throughout Mara’s body and she felt a small, tenuous thread shoot out from her body and connect to the man. It wasn’t an entirely bad sensation. But it was still strange.

“Eh… You sure you’re okay?” Paul asked. Mara suddenly snapped out of it, her eyes sliding back over to him. He studied her curiously before he looked over at the third man, who was still staring at the reporter, a dazed look on his face. Paul then slowly smiled as he looked back over to Mara.

“Yea, sorry. Not sure what happened there,” she said, reaching up to rub her temples as she looked down at the ground. What was going on?

“Again, you really shouldn’t be out here alone. We still haven’t tracked down the animal that’s attacking hikers,” Paul said. “We can walk you back to your car.”

“It’s fine. I’m not that far away,” she said quickly. “No need for the bodyguards. Besides, I was out at one of the other sites yesterday and nothing happened.” She walked over to where she had dropped her bag on the ground and pulled it up onto her shoulder, missing the look that passed between all three men. She then turned and looked over at them. “Guess I’ll get out of here.” She started to turn away but stopped.

“Would it be possible for me to speak with you guys and maybe some of the others from La Push?” she asked. The second man frowned.

“Why? None of the hikers were from the reservation,” he asked.

“Just want to get some reactions from the local community. See how everyone is taking the attacks,” she said.

“Sure. You got some paper and a pen?” Paul asked, earning a glare from the second man. The third still had yet to say anything. Mara glanced at him as she dug around in her bag, fishing out her notebook and a pen before crossing the clearing and holding it out to Paul.

Paul took it and scribbled something down.

“What are you doing tomorrow?” he asked, glancing up at Mara.

“Nothing set in stone,” she replied, still feeling the urge to look over at the other guy. Paul smiled, almost as though he could sense her internal struggle.

“Come to this address around noon. Should be some folks there who will talk to you,” he said. “That’s my number in case you get lost or something comes up.” He held the notebook out to her. Mara took and glanced at it.

“Paul Lahote?” she asked, glancing up at him as she wrote his name down.

“Yep. And this is Quil Ateara and Embry Call,” he said, pointing to his companions.

“Nice to meet you,” Mara said looking over at them, before writing their names down as well. She then slid the notebook back in her bag and pulled out a card. “Here’s my contact info. In case something comes up on your end.”

Paul took it and glanced over it before sliding it into his pocket.

“See you tomorrow, Mara. Should probably get back to town now,” he said. Mara nodded and turned, quickly making her way across the clearing. She glanced back at the guys again, blushing as she met Embry’s eyes, then turned her attention back to the trail.

Sighing, she shook her head, putting the odd encounter out of her mind as she disappeared into the trees, heading for the trailhead and her car.

~~~

Mara dropped her bag in a chair as soon as she arrived back at her motel room, sighing as she looked around. She knew that she needed to get to work on her article, but the meeting in the woods refused to leave the forefront of her mind. She had been jittery ever since she left the forest.

And she couldn’t stop thinking about Embry Call.

“This is crazy,” Mara muttered to herself, turning to the table where she kept a bottle of wine. She found it helped on those late nights she stayed up researching or writing so always had some on hand – or the more cliche bottle of whiskey. She pulled out the cork and poured some of it in one of the glasses before sitting down at the table and staring at it, her brow furrowed.

Yea, it was probably too early to start drinking, but she needed something to calm her down so she could process what had just happened.

She thought she had a good grasp of weird. She could sense lingering murder, after all. But this was something entirely different. She quickly tried to mentally list every sort of rational explanation she could think of. She hadn’t gotten much sleep lately. Maybe she had just overexerted herself and that’s why she was lightheaded and heard buzzing in her ears.

It still didn’t explain why she had felt some sort of strange connection to Embry.

A sudden vibration from her pocket had her shooting straight up as she reached inside her jacket pocket and pulled out her phone. The caller ID read Richard. Sighing, she answered, placing the phone to her ear.

“Hey, Richard,” she said, infusing calm into her voice.

“You got something for me?” he asked.

“Interviewed one of the families. And made it out to another site. Going to the reservation for interviews tomorrow,” she said.

“How are things with the pattern angle?” he asked. Mara glanced over at the pile of papers on the floor.

“Still working my way through the old articles, but I still think something’s there. And I can probably ask about it in all my future interviews. Get some more information,” she said.

“Good. Keep digging. In the meantime, write up a short update for tomorrow and start on a profile of the victim,” he said. “Was there anything interesting in the coroner reports?”

“Well, they didn’t give me as much as I had hoped,” she said with a sigh. “They’re pretty basic and don’t really going into detail.”

“Not uncommon for some things to be redacted,” Richard said.

“I know, but these are weirdly basic,” she said. “They read almost exactly the same in terms of wound locations and the body diagrams look like they had wounds added to them later.”

“Well, this still could very much be your run-of-the mill animal attack. Send me photos of the reports and I’ll check it out. But I agree it seems weird that there are a large amount of similar attacks happening in the same area. Keep digging and let me know if you need any help,” he said.

“Thought you said I needed to figure this out on my own,” Mara asked.

“You needed to learn how to work around problems on your own. Since you did that, I’m now free to step in and help if you need or want it,” he said. “Though I doubt you’ll need it. If you’re anything like your father, you get everything on your own.”

Mara looked down at the glass of wine in her hand.

“Yea, but there was no one like my father,” she said. “And you know how I feel about that.”

“Yea, yea. Make your own way and all that shit. Get back to work and send me that follow-up article,” he said.

“Got it, boss,” she said. “Talk to you tomorrow.”

“Take care, Mara. Be safe,” Richard said.

The line went dead as Mara walked over and plugged it into her charger on the nightstand. She then walked back over and pulled out her notebook and opened her laptop, getting things set up. Just as she sat down at the table and waited on the laptop to fire up, her thoughts once again turned to the forest.

Once again, Embry filled her mind. He hadn’t said a word during the entire exchange, but there was something about his eyes that seemed familiar. There was something about being near him that made her feel as though she was at home.

She wondered what it would feel like to have his arms around her as her eyes drifted closed, her head tilting to the right. She wondered many things - what his smile looked like, how his voice sounded, his laugh. A soft smile played across her face.

The loud start-up tune played, jarring Mara out of her daydream. Even though she was alone, she felt a blush come across her cheeks as she reached for her mouse and started going through her files.

Christ, this was embarrassing. She hadn’t even spoken to this guy and she was already having daydreams about him.

“You’re being ridiculous,” Mara muttered to herself. “You don’t have the time. You are here to work and only work. Stop your damn daydreaming.”

~~~

Embry was lost in his thoughts as they made their way back to the reservation. Mostly because he was trying to wrap his head around what had just happened.

He knew something was coming before they even reached the clearing. The scent of lavender had hit him and before he knew what he was doing, he was barreling towards it, leaving the two others behind. He slid to a stop when the tingling started, barely remembering that he was still in his wolf form.

He didn’t notice Quil and Paul come up, both phasing out and quickly dressing.

Quil had asked him something, but it didn’t register as he stared ahead through the trees. Paul had gone ahead to check it out. Embry had finally come to his senses, phasing out and getting dressed quickly as he heard Paul talking to someone. As soon as he heard her voice, it was as though something else took over and he walked out into the clearing.

The second he laid eyes on her, it was exactly as how the others said.

She had turned to look at him, her warm brown eyes wide in surprise – as though she could feel something too. Everything around them shifted out of sight as images flinted in front of his eyes. The two of them together in Seattle. Going for walks. Wrapping his arms around her. In that instant, nothing mattered anymore - worrying about the killer vampire, school, his mother, leaving the reservation. All that mattered was the woman standing in the middle of the clearing.

“Yo, earth to Embry,” Paul shouted. Embry shook his head and looked over at the two.

“What?” he asked, blinking slightly.

“I just asked if you wanted to share what happened back there,” Paul replied, grinning. It was obvious he knew what had happened. Embry felt his cheeks heat up.

“Think it’s pretty obvious,” Quil said. “Was it the same scent from yesterday?”

“What happened yesterday?” Paul asked.

“He said he smelled lavender and felt some sort of tingling when we were out checking one of the other sites,” Quil explained. “I couldn’t smell or feel a thing.”

“It was her,” Embry confirmed. “Same smell. Same feeling. It was… God. Any of you heard of someone imprinting on a complete stranger before?”

Paul and Quil were silent. They hadn’t, though they suppose that didn’t necessarily mean it wasn’t possible. The fact that it had just happened pretty much proved it.

“She’s not from around here…” Embry said.

“Well… that’s not so bad,” Quil said.

“She’s got absolutely no clue about anything,” Embry said. “The others, they at least knew about the legends and such. So it wasn’t a complete shock.”

“You don’t know that. She’s a reporter. She could have looked into the tribe legends for background information on the area,” Paul said.

Embry sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. He was part elated that he had finally imprinted. But at the same time, he was starting to realize just how complicated this was going to be.

“You sure it was such a good idea to invite her to Sam and Emily’s house tomorrow?” Quil asked. “Without checking with them first?”

“She’s going to have to figure out everything eventually,” Paul countered.

“Yea, but not all at once,” Quil said. “And don’t you think you should have asked Embry what he wanted to do?” They both looked over at Embry.

“I honestly don’t know what to do in this situation,” he admitted.

“In what situation?”

They all looked ahead, seeing Jacob walking towards them. “Why are you back so early?”

“Well… we had a bit of a… situation,” Paul started. Jacob frowned.

“Like I said, what situation?” he asked, looking at the three of them.

“Okay, so good news, Embry imprinted. Bad news - it was on the reporter,” Paul said lightly. Jacob gaped at him a moment before looking at Embry. He raised his hands in front of him.

“Dude, you know we can’t control it. And Paul invited her to Sam and Emily’s tomorrow,” he said quickly, hoping to throw some of the heat off himself.

“You did what?” Jacob shouted, looking over at Paul.

“She’s going to have to find out eventually,” Paul said.

“How did you even run into the reporter?” Jacob asked.

“Her name is Mara,” Embry said. Jacob whipped his head to look at him, though his scowl softened when he saw the look on his face. His fists were clenched as he glared at his pack leader, his protective instincts starting to take over.

“Calm down,” he said. “Okay… so start from the beginning.”

“We were going out to check the site, like you asked. And then I smelled lavender - like yesterday. And the weird feeling came back. And then… there she was in the clearing and… it happened,” Embry said.

“What was she even doing out there? And alone?” Jacob asked.

“Probably for the story,” Paul said. “And you have to admit, she’s got guts if she went out there alone.” Jacob sighed and motioned for them to follow him.

“We need to discuss this with Sam. Since she’s coming tomorrow, we should… figure out a plan for how to deal with… this,” he said, motioning wildly with his hands.

Embry took a deep breath and slowly let it out as he fell in step behind Jacob. His mind was whirling. Just that morning, the only things on his mind were school, his mother, and the recent attacks. And then within an instant, it had all changed.

Barking laughter threw him out of his thoughts as he looked over at Paul and Quil.

“What?” he asked, looking over to Jacob for some sort of answer. His pack leader was just smiling and shaking his head.

“You haven’t lost that goofy look off your face since you imprinted,” Paul said.

“Can you blame him? He’s only been waiting for this moment for years,” Quil said. The two laughed as Embry rubbed the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly. Jacob studied him a bit before stopping.

“You guys go ahead,” he said, looking at Paul and Quil. The two shot another grin at Embry before loping off towards Sam’s house. “Might as well get it out now. Everyone’s going to know the next time we phase.”

Embry took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

“I always thought that it would be someone…”

“From around here?” Jacob asked. Embry nodded.

“Who I had at least heard of before… Or maybe she had heard of me… She knows nothing about me. Hell, I know nothing about her other than she’s a reporter,” Embry said. “What if she freaks out and runs? Or thinks I’m delusion?”

“First of all, take a deep breath and calm down,” Jacob said. “Next, just because you imprinted doesn’t mean you have to tell her everything tomorrow. In fact, I would advise against that. It’s a lot to take in at once.” Embry nodded. “And well… don’t you think this is a sign? You’re planning to go to Seattle in the spring anyway. She’s from Seattle…”

“Suppose it makes sense when you think of it that way,” he admitted.

“Stop worrying so much. She’s your imprint,” Jacob said. Embry nodded slowly. “For now, just take it a day at a time. Start with something simple - getting to know her.”

“Yea. You’re right,” he said. Jacob smiled.

“Come on, you finally imprinted. You should be happy,” he said. Embry couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his lips.

“I did,” he said, as a rush of happiness flooded through him.

“Told you it would happen,” Jacob said, turning and starting to walk away. Embry caught up to him, suddenly not so worried. Jacob was right. They didn’t have to figure everything out right away. For now, he would just focus on getting to know Mara.


	5. Getting to Know the Fam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mara continues to follow the story, though finds herself strangely and suddenly attracted to Embry - and facing a bit of wall with some of the others. Embry, on the other hand, is only interested in getting to know Mara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own any of the characters or previous story from Twilight, but I do own the original characters and this story.
> 
> Setting: Post-books/movies  
> Pairing: Embry/OC  
> Genre: Drama/Romance/Mystery/Action  
> Rating: M (Language, Sexual Situations, Mention of violence)

Mara glanced at the caller ID on her phone as she carefully drove down the winding highway that led to La Push. She pressed the answer button and braced herself.

“Hey, Mom,” she said brightly.

“Want to explain why I haven’t heard from you since you left?” her mother said, her voice full of concern.

“Sorry, guess I was just caught up in work,” Mara said.

“Christ, your dad used to do the same thing. Worried me to death,” her mother continued. Mara rolled her eyes.

“I’m only three-and-a-half hours away,” she replied.

“Yea, covering a story about mysterious deaths in a secluded town surrounded by miles of forest,” her mother shot back. “I hope you’re not going out into the woods.”

“I do have to go out there for the story,” Mara said. “In fact, I’m currently driving to La Push.”

“God, just… tell me that someone is going with you,” her mother replied.

“Mom, it’s fine. I’m going out to talk to some people, so I won’t be alone. I’m not a kid anymore. This is my job,” Mara retorted. There was silence on the other end.

“Sorry, I know. You can handle this. Just… it makes me nervous, you know?” she said. Mara sighed.

“Mom, this isn’t like Dad,” she said softly.

“I know, I know.”

“I’m being careful,” Mara continued.

“I know. Just miss you,” she said. Mara chuckled.

“I won’t be here forever,” she said.

“Hurry up and get back home. I’ve found some new recipes I want to try. Oh, and call Kates. She’s driving me crazy,” her mom said.

“Got it,” Mara said with a laugh. “Love you.”

“Love you too, Mars Bar.”

“Bye, Mom.”

She hung up and sighed.

“Call Katie,” she said, rubbing her forehead. It rang once before Katie picked up.

“What the hell? I called twice last night!” Katie shouted, her voice filling the car.

“I know! I’m sorry! I had to focus on finishing the article,” she said, her eyes darting from the navigation screen back to the road.

“I wanted to hear all about Deputy Hottie!” Katie whined.

“Shit, Kates. It’s not like it was a date. He asked me to dinner so I could meet with the chief. Finally got him to give me the reports,” she said.

“Oh,” Katie said. “But you’re going to see him again, aren’t you?”

Mara frowned. She knew she would see Mike anytime she went into the station. And he had messaged her and asked if she would be free for a drink that night that she hadn’t responded to yet.

Truth be told, after the meeting in the woods yesterday, she had very nearly forgotten about the deputy. There had been a constant flurry of butterflies in her stomach all morning whenever she thought about going out to the reservation that she couldn’t explain. She had added it to the ever-growing list of odd bodily reactions whenever she thought about La Push and this mysterious Embry.

“Mara… what are you not telling me? Did something happen? He’s a total douche, isn’t he?” Katie asked, driving her out of her thoughts. Mara shook her head.

“No, it’s nothing like that. He’s fine, but just a work contact,” she said quickly. “I’ve just been caught up in interviews and such. Met with one of the family’s yesterday and went out to another site where I ran into some of the guys from the nearby reservation.”

“You met more of the locals, eh?” Katie asked. “Were these guys hotties too?”

“Christ, Kates, is that all you think about?” Mara asked, rolling her eyes.

“I can hear it in your voice. You have a crush on someone,” Katie said, the smile apparent in her voice. “Is it Deputy Hottie or one of the others?”

“You know that I’m here to work,” Mara said. “In fact, I’m on my way out to the reservation to do more interviews,” she said.

“So, it’s one of the locals. What’s his name?” Katie asked.

“Oh my god, I’m not having this conversation right now,” Mara said, her voice strained. Katie was quiet.

“Something happened. I can hear it in your voice,” she said, sounding serious.

“Nothing happened,” Mara replied, though her thoughts immediately returned to the odd encounter in the forest. She blushed slightly as she thought back to some of the dreams she had had the night before. Embry had featured in all of them.

How could she feel this much attraction for someone she had just met? Someone that she had been around for a grand total of 5 minutes? It made no sense.

“Mar… is the story getting to you?” Katie asked.

“No,” Mara replied. “I mean, it was tough interviewing the family yesterday, but… I don’t know. I’ve gotten this weird feeling ever since I arrived in Forks.”

“You think there’s something more going than just animal attacks?” Katie asked.

“That’s what my gut is telling me,” Mara replied. “I’m hoping I can get some answers while I’m in La Push today.”

“And then drinks with Deputy Hottie tonight?” Katie asked.

“Don’t know… depends on how things go today,” Mara replied.

“You do have a crush on one of the guys you met yesterday,” Katie shouted in triumph. Mara rolled her eyes. She opened her mouth to start to tell Katie off, but stopped. She really wanted to tell her about what had happened yesterday, but she didn’t even know how to explain it to herself.

“I’m just focused on work, is all,” Mara replied. “Gotta go, I’m nearly there.”

“Fill me in later, yea?” Katie asked.

“Sure. Love ya,” Mara said, turning off on another road.

“Love ya, too!”

Mara hung up as music filled the car again. She had started noticing a number of cabins and houses popping up as she neared the town. Once she hit the main street, she took in the various shops selling traditional arts and crafts and usual small-town fare. Grocery store, drug store, post office. She glanced at the navigation and kept going towards the outer edge of the town, turning down a country road where the houses were set far apart, some partially hidden in the trees. At the end of it, she pulled up to a cabin with flowers in the front and rocking chairs on the porch.

She had arrived.

She put the car in park and turned it off. Turning, she grabbed her bag from the front seat as she unhooked her seatbelt and then got out of the car. Paul was already stepping out from the house and walking towards her as she shut the door.

“Good to see you found the place,” he said brightly as he neared her with his hand out. Mara smiled and shook his hand, though her eyes drifted towards the house, wondering if Embry was inside. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Paul’s grin widen but before she had a chance to find it curious, two more men stepped out.

“This is Jacob Black and Sam Uley,” Paul said. “This is Sam’s house, but a lot of us hang out here regularly. Sam and Jacob are… kind of like…”

“We’re on the tribal council,” Jacob said quickly, shooting a frown at Paul. “Paul says you’re here covering the hikers’ deaths?”

“Yea, for The Seattle Times,” Mara said, moving over towards the two with her hand out. Jacob accepted in, studying her curiously. She then turned to Sam, who kept his arms crossed in front of him, watching her with caution. Mara’s eyebrows rose as she dropped her hand to her side. “Been staying in Forks.”

“Have you tried talking with the police over there?” Sam asked. “Sure they could help you out more than we can.”

“Yea, I’ve been in touch with Chief Swan,” she said.

“Then why do you want to talk to us?” Sam asked.

“I know this area relies on tourism. I just wanted to get a feel for how the recent attacks have been affecting that. I’m sure it’s not been easy with a lot of them happening so close,” she said, not shying away from his stern gaze. Jacob cracked a smile as he looked back at Sam and then over at Mara.

“Come on in. A few of the guys are here,” Jacob said, motioning for her to come into the house. Mara moved to follow him, feeling like she had just passed some sort of test, though she wasn’t sure exactly what it was.

They walked in and found a kitchen table crowded with more large men. Mara stopped, momentarily stunned at their size. Just what was in the water at La Push? Her eyes then fell on Embry as the butterflies started up again and she felt the pull of the invisible thread in between them, guiding her over towards him.

“You remember Embry,” Paul said, stepping up to her side. Mara just blinked as the two stared at each other. “Take a seat.” She noticed the only open chair was next to him. Gulping, she walked over and sat down, glancing over at him. The first thing she noticed was the heat coming from his body. She wasn’t sure if it was real or her imagination. Instead of dwelling on it, she offered him what she hoped was a friendly smile and not a nervous grimace.

“Good to see you again,” she said.

“You too,” he replied. His voice was deep – Mara could feel it rumble throughout her body. She looked around the group, finding an interesting mix of reactions to her presence. Some seemed curious while others were grinning as though they knew something she didn’t. Mara shook it off as she reached into her bag, searching for a pen and her notebook.

“Can I get you some coffee?” a woman called out. Mara looked up, noticing a beautiful woman standing in the kitchen for the first time. Her eyes immediately went to her round belly and then back up to her face, which she could only see half of.

“Uh, yea, thanks,” Mara said. The woman smiled warmly and then turned away, her back to them. Mara continued digging through her bag, finally finding what she was looking for and pulling it out, before the woman then walked towards the table with a mug of coffee that she sat in front of Mara. It was then that she noticed the wicked scars running down her left cheek. Mara quickly turned her attention to her notebook, flipping through pages to get to the few questions she scribbled down. She didn’t want to be caught staring.

“This is Emily, Sam’s wife,” Paul offered from where he stood behind Quil. “And you remember Quil. These other two are Seth Clearwater and Jared Cameron.” Mara nodded a hello to all of them, though she could still feel the pull of Embry next to her.

“Well, I guess we should just get started,” Mara said, glancing down at her notebook. Yes, focus on work. Work was good. Inappropriate thoughts of the man sitting next to her were bad. “What do you guys make of the deaths?” She directed the question towards Sam and Jacob, who were standing next to Paul. She felt as though they were the ones with the most authority in the group and it was only polite to ask them first. Jacob looked over at Sam, who still looked as though he wasn’t completely happy with Mara there.

“I mean, we feel bad for the families, but when you live in a place like this, unfortunately animal attacks happen,” Jacob said, looking back at Mara. “We’ve been helping out where we can - going out to help the police hunt down whatever it is. Just being out in the woods to make sure no one is going off the trails.”

“Do you have any ideas as to what kind of animal could be doing this?” Mara asked, scribbling things down. She could feel Embry’s eyes on her, though she tried to stay focused, else she’d screw up her own shorthand and fuck herself over later when she was writing up the story.

“There are a lot of animals out here that could attack hikers,” Sam said. “Bears, cougars, even coyotes and moose.” Mara frowned.

“A moose could do something like this?” she asked, a note of incredulity entering her voice.

“Not in this case, but they can cause trouble,” Jacob explained quickly.

“So, it’s more likely a bear, cougar or coyote,” Mara stated, an eyebrow raised. “Any wolves in the area?” A look passed around the group. Paul and Jacob looked slightly impressed though Sam certainly didn’t.

“Just how much do you know about animal attacks?” Sam asked her. Mara’s eyebrows rose slightly as she sat up in her chair.

“I know a fair amount. Grew up hiking, camping, and hunting thanks to my dad,” she replied. “And I know enough to see that these injuries don’t completely add up.” Of course, she was bluffing a bit - she hadn’t seen any such thing in the reports Swan had given her, nor had she seen the actual injuries. But knowing what she did from her little sixth sense, she had to figure there was something odd about them. “And that this isn’t the first time there has been a number of hikers killed in the area.”

“Again, it’s a lot of forest and wilderness. Animal attacks aren’t unusual,” Sam said. Mara nodded and looked down at her notebook.

“Did any of you know the hikers?” she asked, glancing around the table, though ultimately, she was using it as an excuse to look at Embry.

“Knew of some of them. It’s a rural area and a decent amount of people from Forks come up here to the beach,” Jacob said. Mara nodded again and scribbled more things down in the notebook. She could sense a bit of tension in the room. And that they were being guarded with their answers. The tension was mostly coming from Sam, though she felt like the rest of the group was following his example.

Sighing, she put her notebook and pen down on the table and reached for her mug of coffee, taking a sip as she met Sam’s stare. It was time to stop tiptoeing around it and get direct.

“I’m not the enemy,” she said bluntly. “You can talk to me. I just want to make sure that the story is told right.”

“And just why should we trust you?” he asked.

“Chief Swan trusts me, at least to some extent,” she replied. “Don’t you want to know what’s going on?”

“We know what’s going on. It’s animal attacks,” Sam said. “And we don’t need reporters like you butting in and making it into something bigger than what it is.”

He then turned and stalked out of the house, leaving the kitchen in awkward silence. Mara looked down at her mug and took another drink.

“I’m sorry about that,” Emily said. “He’s under a bit of stress right now because of the attacks. All three happened nearby and we’re all worried whatever it is could come into town.” Mara looked over at her.

“I imagine that can’t be easy,” she said, sensing some of the tension break a bit.

“So, you’re a big-time reporter from Seattle?” Paul asked, changing the subject. Mara looked over at him, her eyes wide in surprise.

“I wouldn’t say that,” she said quickly. “Just a normal, average reporter.”

“You know, I think if you give Sam some time to cool off, he’ll be more willing to answer your questions. In the meantime, Embry could show you around town. Lunch isn’t completely ready yet,” he said, causing Embry to choke a bit on his own coffee as he looked at Paul. Mara felt her cheeks heat up slightly.

“Sure, that would be nice,” Mara said, glancing at the man sitting next to her. What? Why did she say that? It was as if her mouth had a mind of its own. But at the same time, she couldn’t deny that a bit of giddiness started welling up within her. Christ, at this rate, she’d be scribbling “Mara + Embry” in her notebook with hearts by the end of the interview.

“Guess we should go then,” Embry said, standing. Mara put her mug down and stood as well.

“Lead the way,” she said brightly. Embry nodded and walked out the front door, Mara quick on his heels.

“Well that could have gone a lot better,” Jared said once the two were out of earshot. “I thought you told Sam.” He looked up at Jacob.

“We did,” Jacob said with a sigh as he moved to sit in one of the open chairs.

“Sam’s a little confused,” Emily said gently.

“So’s Embry,” Jacob said. “But I have to admit… I like her. She’s not afraid of Sam.”

“How do you think she’s going to handle it when Embry finally tells her?” Paul asked, reaching for a muffin.

“That’s anyone’s guess,” Jacob replied, his brow furrowed. “For Embry’s sake, I hope it’s well. We haven’t had an imprintee reject it so far, but doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen…”

“I don’t think she will,” Emily said. “She couldn’t stop sneaking glances at him. You can tell she’s feeling something, though she probably hasn’t figured out what it is herself. Best thing we can do is let them work it out.”

“Or, we could do everything that we can to throw them together,” Paul countered with a grin.

“I don’t think they’ll need any help in that department,” Seth said, watching the couple slowly walk towards town out the front door. “They’re walking pretty close…”

“Embry might need it. When was the last time he went on a date anyway?” Paul asked with a chuckle.

“Hush,” Emily said, swatting Paul with a dish towel. “Stop giving your brother such a hard time. You remember how it was when you first imprinted.”

“Don’t remind me,” Jacob said, rolling his eyes as Paul grinned.

“All of you. Given them space to figure it out on their own,” Emily warned, though her eyes twinkled.

There was a chorus of “Alright” and “Fine.”

“Good.”

~~~

Mara looked around the picturesque town as Embry started leading her towards a path going into the forest. He had been a good guide, explaining some of the tribe and town history as he pointed out the various shops and buildings around them. The more they walked around, the more he seemed to relax and open up about the area. Mara had looked into La Push a little bit before driving out, but hadn’t gone in that closely, seeing as it wasn’t related to the animal attacks.

Her father would probably have something to say about that - always be prepared and such. Hell, her mother probably would too considering she specialized in the Native history of the state.

For whatever reason, Mara felt like a jumbled ball of nerves. God, it was like being back in high school and finally getting that chance to talk with her biggest crush.

“Are you sure that it’s safe?” Mara asked as she looked over at him.

“We’re not that far into the woods,” he replied. “Besides, there’s not much out here that scares me.” Mara nodded as she accidentally knocked into him.

“Sorry,” she said, her cheeks turning slightly pink.

“It’s fine,” he said, though he felt his heart skip a heat at the brief touch.

“So… what was it like to grow up here?” she asked.

“It wasn’t bad,” he said. “My mom moved here from the Makah reservation when she was pregnant with me, so it’s the only home I’ve ever known.”

“My dad’s family came from the S’Klallam Reservation in Port Gamble, though I admit I’ve never been out there,” she said. “After he moved to LA, he didn’t really keep in touch and now there’s not really any of them still there.”

Embry was silent as he took in the information. He wanted to ask about it more but felt that was too personal for their first real conversation. No matter what the imprint was telling him.

“Seems like you guy must spend a lot of time outdoors,” she said.

“That would be true,” Embry said, smiling to himself. If only she knew just how much time he spent outdoors. “Hunting, fishing. There’s a nice beach nearby where we have the occasional bonfire or go surfing.”

“Really? I’d like to see that,” Mara said, perking up at bit. She had always loved being near the water.

“Maybe if you get some free time while you’re here, I could take you over there,” Embry offered.

“I’d like that,” Mara found herself saying. She blushed again as she kept her gaze on the trail in front of her.

“You seem like you know your way around a trail,” Embry said as he watched her make her way nimbly down the uneven forest path in a pair of sturdy, worn hiking boots.

“Surprising for a city slicker?” she asked, grinning at him.

“Yea, a bit,” he admitted. Mara chuckled.

“My family was really into all the outdoorsy stuff. I grew up going on trips with my parents nearly every month or so. Camping, hiking, hunting and all,” she said. “Though I haven’t been out as much since-” Mara stopped, realizing what she was about to say.

“Since when?” Embry asked.

“Since my dad died,” Mara said softly.

“God, I’m sorry,” Embry said. Mara shook her head and smiled.

“It’s fine. You didn’t know and it was a long time ago. I was 15,” she said. Embry was quiet a few moments. “I was the one who found him actually… in our house.” She snapped her mouth shut, unsure of why she had shared something so personal with someone she just met.

“I can’t even imagine,” Embry said. Mara met his gaze, seeing that he was sincere. “I, ah, never knew my dad.” She had guessed as much when he mentioned that his mom moved here when she was pregnant with him but felt it polite not to ask about it. “It’s always been just me and my mom.”

“You must be close. Is that why you stayed in La Push?” she asked.

“For the most part. I got accepted into a couple schools right after high school, but felt I needed to take care of her. I’ve been doing online courses though. Planning to transfer to UW for the spring semester.” Mara nearly stopped walking.

“You’re moving to Seattle?” she asked, the butterflies starting up again. “What are you studying?”

“Pre-med,” he replied. “Then hopefully I can get accepted into the med school there. Starting a bit late, but figured it was better late than never.”

“That is true,” she said. “Why medicine?”

“Always been interested in it. Healing people and such. And figured maybe someday I could move back and open up a clinic here so that folks wouldn’t need to always go elsewhere,” he said. He looked over at her. “Why journalism?”

“Ah, well, my dad was a reporter,” she said. “Guess I wanted to follow in his footsteps.” Embry stopped walking, turning to face her. He could hear the sadness in her voice.

“It must have been really hard,” he said. Mara looked down at her feet, kicking the dirt around with the toe of her boot.

“I survived,” she said, finally looking up at him. Without thinking Embry reached out and pulled Mara towards him, enveloping her in his arms. Mara was stunned into silence, not seeing it coming, but at the same time, she felt like it was what she needed in that moment. That it was the best way he could communicate with her as she rested her head on his chest and allow his warmth to spread throughout her. She found that she appreciated it more than the usual awkward, “I’m so sorry for your loss,” or other generic phrases people used when they didn’t know what to say. 

But then she came to her senses, remembering this was someone she had just met, and stepped back, smiling nervously as she started down the path again, tucking her hair behind her ears. Embry quickly caught up to her.

“Is that why you are taking this story so seriously?” he asked, reaching for anything to say that might diffuse the awkwardness that settled in.

“I take every story seriously,” she said. “But… to be honest, this is the first substantial one I’ve been given since I started on the crime desk. More than trying to prove myself, I feel like the families deserve to know the truth.” Embry frowned.

“The truth?” he asked. Mara nodded, as she thought over what exactly to say to him. It was on the tip of her tongue to confess everything - she wasn’t sure why being around Embry seemed to open the floodgates. But she also didn’t want all her suspicions to get back to the chief just yet. Especially when she needed more evidence. She sighed.

“You honestly don’t find anything strange about the recent attacks?” she asked, looking up at him. Embry opened his mouth to speak and then shut it.

“I’m not sure,” he finally said.

“I just... can’t help but feel like… there’s something more that’s going on. That there’s something the police are hiding,” she replied, her brow furrowed. “And why would they hide things if these are supposedly random animal attacks?”

“You don’t think they’re random?” Embry asked. He was equal parts impressed with how she put things together, but also worried about how close to the truth she was getting.

“Well, I think the victims are chosen out of convenience...” she said.

“You think it’s a person doing this,” he said. Mara shrugged.

“I don’t know for sure, but if it’s a person behind this, they certainly aren’t human,” she replied. Embry’s eyes widened a bit. Did she know? “It takes something truly evil to inflict that kind of violence on someone else.”

He breathed a sigh of relief. Of course, she didn’t suspect there was anything supernatural at play here. She couldn’t. She was a journalist after all. She thought it was the work of a psycho killer.

“God, this is a depressing topic for such beautiful surroundings,” Mara said, offering a tense laugh. “We should get back to happier topics.”

“Yea,” Embry said, breathing a sigh of relief. “So, Mara… what do you do for fun in Seattle?”

“The usual. Concerts. Movies. Going out with my friends,” she said. “Though my favorite place is sitting on the back deck of my house with a good book.”

“You have a house,” Embry said, impressed.

“Don’t sound too impressed. There’s no way I could have afforded to get it on my salary. It’s my grandmother’s. She left it to me when she died. I moved in during school,” she said. “It’s in a quiet neighborhood with a large backyard that butts up against a forest.”

“Sounds nice,” Embry said.

“It’s nowhere near as beautiful as out here, but it’s a nice little sanctuary in the big city,” she said. “I’ll have to have you over for dinner one night after you move to Seattle.” Once again her cheeks heated up as Mara surprised herself with her own boldness.

“I’d like that,” Embry said. The two walked in silence a bit before Embry started to pick up his pace. “Come on. I think Emily’s probably got lunch ready by now.”

“Sounds good...”


	6. Getting Close

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seems more than just Fate is pushing Mara and Embry together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own any of the characters or previous story from Twilight, but I do own the original characters and this story.
> 
> Setting: Post-books/movies  
> Pairing: Embry/OC  
> Genre: Drama/Romance/Mystery/Action  
> Rating: M (Language, Sexual Situations, Mention of violence)

Mara settled in the living room of Emily and Sam’s cabin after lunch with a mug of tea and her notebook out. When she and Embry returned from their walk, most of the guys had left though Jacob and Paul had stuck around. Sam still hadn’t returned. She wasn’t sure what to make of it. She still felt like it had something to do with her asking about the attacks, though Emily had said something came up at the shop that he owned.

Lunch was a much more pleasant experience than the interview had been. As soon as she had walked back through the door, the jokes had started up and she spent nearly the entire meal laughing as Paul and Jacob shared stories from growing up on the reservation and some good-natured teasing - much of it directed at Embry.

Even Mara opened up, sharing a few embarrassing stories from high school. But now that they were in the living room, Mara planned to get back into the attacks.

“So, this isn’t the first time something like this has happened around here,” she said, looking around the room. Paul and Emily glanced at Jacob, silently referring to him. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

“Like Sam said, we’ve had a fair amount of animal attacks around here over the years. Kind of goes with the territory. Though the last we’ve seen something like this was several years ago,” he said.

“Did you ever find the animal causing it back then?” Mara asked, scribbling things down.

“No, but some of the guys from the reservation went out with the police to try and track it down. The attacks eventually stopped on their own, so we assumed the animal either died or moved out of the area,” he said.

“What did you think it was?” Mara asked.

“A bear,” Jacob said immediately. Mara glanced up at him.

“A bear?” she asked.

“Again, not unusual,” Jacob said.

“It’s hitting the local tourism industry pretty hard, though,” Paul said. “Already gotten a fair amount of cancellations with the local lodges. Lot of La Push and Forks rely on campers and hikers coming in.”

“We’ve even warned people not to go out into the forest alone. Always go in groups and avoid being out there at night. At least until we can track it down,” Embry said, looking at Mara. “You probably shouldn’t go back out to any of the accident sites as well unless you have someone with you.”

Mara blushed slightly, though she kept her eyes trained on her notebook. She wasn’t sure why she was reacting this way because of his concern for her safety.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” she replied.

“Should take Embry with you. He knows his way around these woods,” Paul said, grinning. Mara’s face just heated up more.

“Was it locals in the past as well? Inexperienced hikers?” she asked, pushing her feelings aside as she looked over at Jacob.

“Mostly locals, though not all were hikers,” he said. Mara nodded, thinking over what she knew about the current hikers.

“The reports said this latest round was all people who knew what they were doing,” she commented.

“Whether you know how to hike or camp doesn’t really change much. If a bear wants to attack, it will,” Jacob said. Mara frowned.

“But wouldn’t they know how to take measures to avoid that?” she asked.

“They might. But still, it happens,” Jacob said, shifting in the chair where he sat.

Mara couldn’t help but think there was something he was leaving out as she glanced around the room. Paul was looking down at his hands, while Emily fiddled with her mug. She wanted to push them, but then remembered how Sam stormed out earlier. She had just gotten them to open up to her.

Perhaps now was not the time.

“Anyone need more tea?” Emily asked suddenly. “I’ll get some.” She then pushed herself out of her chair and started gathering the mugs.

“Here, let me help,” Mara said, quickly jumping to her feet.

“Thanks,” Emily replied, offering her a warm smile.

After the two left the room, Paul grinned at Embry.

“So… take it the walk went well,” he said casually. Embry couldn’t help but smile slightly as he nodded.

“She’s… well, there’s a lot more to her than I thought,” he said, glancing towards the kitchen where he could hear the kettle start and soft talking. “God, she found her dad dead at their home when she was 15.”

Jacob’s eyes widened as Paul’s eyebrows shot up.

“That so?” Jacob asked. Embry nodded.

“He was a reporter too,” he added. Part of him felt like he was betraying her trust, but at the same time, Jacob would know everything the next time they phased anyway. The whole pack would. “She said that’s why she wanted to be a reporter.”

Both Paul and Jacob let the information sink in as they glanced towards the kitchen. While Mara had come off as guarded earlier, she had spent most of the time with them laughing and smiling. They had no clue she held such tragedy in her life.

“But there’s more… she suspects that these aren’t random animal attacks,” Embry continued, lowering his voice as he leaned forward on his knees.

“That’s not good,” Paul replied.

“No, shit,” Jacob replied.

“She’s determined to figure it out because she thinks the police are covering it up,” Embry said, worry started to fill him.

“We still haven’t managed to figure out who is causing them,” Jacob said, his brow furrowed. “Even though we know what it is - this bloodsucker is good at getting away.”

“I know… I’m worried what it could mean for Mara if she gets too close to the truth. They could come for her if they catch on to her investigation,” Embry said. “She’ll eventually have to be told about us, but… she can’t know about them.”

Paul and Jacob were silent a few moments.

“Have you decided when to tell her?” Paul asked. Embry shrugged as he leaned back on the sofa.

“I don’t think I can tell her right now,” he admitted. “Honestly, I think I need to wait until she gets to know me, us, a bit better.”

“She seems to have a good head on her shoulders. She should be able to handle it,” Jacob added. Embry nodded.

“But it’s better to wait,” he said.

“Probably not a bad idea…”

~~~

“You guys really do have a lovely home,” Mara said as she watched Emily pour more hot water into the mugs and reach for tea packets.

“Thanks,” she replied. She glanced up at Mara and then towards the living room. “So, did you enjoy your tour of the reservation?”

“Yea, it really is nice out here,” Mara said. “My family used to go camping a lot, but I haven’t been in ages. It’s been nice getting away from the city for a bit.”

“You should come out this way more often. When you’re not working and can really enjoy the area,” Emily said. Mara nodded slowly.

“I was thinking I might do that, actually,” she said. “But probably not when there’s a murderous animal stalking the woods.”

“Right,” Emily said. She then stopped her work and looked Mara straight in the eye. “What do you think of Embry?”

Mara’s eyes widened as her mouth dropped open slightly. She hadn’t been expecting her to ask about him. Was this whole day a set-up? Is that what all the furtive glances and looks between everyone had been about?

“I, well, I haven’t really thought much about him,” she lied, starting to fiddle with some tea packets before dunking them into the mugs. Perhaps Emily could read her mind. She had found her thoughts – and her eyes – drifting towards the man often during lunch. However, she had thought she’d been discreet about it. Emily chuckled.

“It’s okay… I did notice you kept looking at him,” she said, turning to lean against the counter. Mara’s eyes flew up to her as her cheeks started turning pink.

“And here I was hoping no one noticed,” she confessed.

“Well… I’m a bit more observant than your average person,” Emily replied. “Not to mention, he’s been looking at you just as much.” Mara studied the woman a moment, wondering if perhaps she could confide in her about everything. The odd experience in the woods, how Embry suddenly dominated her thoughts and dreams, how even now, she felt this pull towards him.

But at the same time, reason told her not to. She had just met the woman. She also barely knew Embry.

“Well… he’s certainly attractive. And he seems sweet,” Mara said. “But ultimately I am here for work. I need to stay focused on that.” Emily nodded and then reached out, taking Mara’s hand. Mara was surprised at the gesture. Seems the people of La Push were all touchy-feely. Well, not Sam.

“He’s a good guy. And I can tell that you’re a good person as well. Surely you can spare some time to get to know him better while you’re here,” Emily said. “And I know we’ll all feel better about him having a friendly face when he moves off to Seattle in a few months.” Mara nodded.

“I think I can at least do that much,” she said.

“Good,” Emily said, smiling as they loaded up the mugs on a tray and carried them back to the living room.

~~~

“Look at him. He’s still smiling,” Paul said, causing Embry’s cheeks to heat up.

“Stop it,” Emily chided as she handed him a plate with a sandwich. “He didn’t give you a hard time when you imprinted.”

“Still can’t believe it was my sister,” Jacob said, shooting Paul a look.

“I like her,” Emily said, offering Embry a warm smile. “I think she’ll make a great addition to the family.”

Mara had left about 30 minutes ago and as soon as she left, the ribbing had started up. Usually Embry would have been embarrassed, but he found that he was too happy to care. Overall, things had gone well, and he couldn’t stop thinking about when he could see her again. They had managed to exchange numbers before she drove off and he had spent the last 30 minutes wondering when would be too soon to text or call her. After their talk while walking around, he wanted to know even more about her.

“She gone?” Sam asked as he walked in. The laughter died down as they all turned to look at him.

“About half an hour ago,” Jacob said.

“Did you really have to give her the cold shoulder?” Emily asked, stepping over to kiss his cheek. “She is really kind. And she’s got good intentions.”

“It’s not her intentions I’m worried about,” he said as he sat down. “It’s her getting too close.”

“But Embry imprinted on her. She’s going to be let in on the big secret eventually,” Paul countered.

“That’s not the secret I’m worried about,” Sam said. “She’s here to look into the attacks. And we all know that they aren’t being caused by a bear. Or a human.”

An uneasy silence spread around the room as they thought back to what Embry had shared with them earlier.

“She’s already suspicious,” Embry told him. “She’s starting to put things together and knows that the police are giving her the runaround.”

“Then we need to make sure she finds information that leads her elsewhere,” Sam said. “She can’t find out about the others.”

“Look, the Cullens are in Canada. And we can take care of whoever’s been around in the woods before it gets that far. There won’t be a reason for her to find out about the others,” Jacob said reasonably. “We’ll take care of the situation and make sure the official story is that it was animal attacks.”

“And you’re sure she’ll buy that?” Sam asked, looking at Jacob. Jacob looked over at Embry, who sighed.

“I’m not sure… from what I’ve learned of her so far, she’s intuitive. But she also needs evidence. I think if she’s shown strong evidence that it’s a bear or whatever, she’ll buy into it,” he said.

“Okay,” Sam said. “We can do that much. But you’re going to have to make sure that she buys it.” Embry nodded. He didn’t like the idea of lying to Mara, but he knew that ultimately it was in her best interest. No good would come from her finding out about the vampires. One way or another, there was a high chance it would end up with her killed. Even Charlie Swan had no idea about their existence, though he definitely knew that the Cullens and Bella were different.

“Since that’s settled,” he said with a sigh. “Better eat up. We’ve got another patrol tonight.”

“Got it.”

~~~

Mara couldn’t help the smile that played across her face as she settled down at the table in her motel room with her laptop. She glanced through her notes from the reservation, mentally starting to organize them. She would need to give Richard an update soon.

She then turned her attention to her email. There were a few from Richard, but one from Chief Swan grabbed her attention immediately. She opened it, glancing through its contents. It was short – just a small update that the police were planning to go back out in the woods the next day to continue hunting for the animal. He had also attached the latest report on the third autopsy.

She quickly opened it, scanning through the contents. It was the same as the others, with the medical examiner concluding it was definitely an animal attack. Mara frowned as she sat back in the chair. She thought back over her time at the reservation and her suspicions that the deaths weren’t random attacks. She then sat up and sent off a reply, letting him know that she was coming by the next morning to talk to him.

The best way to approach this, in her mind, was to be direct.

After that was sent, she started through her notes again, typing them up in longform. But her fingers slowed as her mind kept drifting back to her visit. She had enjoyed being up there for the day. After the initial coldness of her arrival, everyone seemed to open up to her. And she found that she wanted to spend more time there. Perhaps she could afford to take some time off from the story. Surely one night or afternoon of fun wouldn’t kill her as long as she still made deadline. And Richard had been happier with her recent updates. She could always tell him that it was for the story – building rapport with the locals.

Her thoughts then turned to the conversation in the kitchen with Emily. Mara had met few people who were as observant as the young woman – her father being one. Though she supposed she had made it easier with her constant glances toward Embry. She still didn’t understand why she felt such a deep, sudden attraction to him.

_Duh, it’s love at first sight, idiot,_ she could hear Katie saying in her head.

Mara stopped typing as she sat up and then leaned her chin on her hand. Was that what this was? Surely not. Mara didn’t believe in love at first sight. She believed in taking time to build trust and a relationship. Then love would come into play. There was absolutely no way that she was falling for a man she had literally just met yesterday.

_You are way too uptight, Mar. Sometimes you need to just go with it,_ Katie had told her once. Sighing, she wondered if her best friend was right. That she was too uptight. She rarely had a relationship that went longer than two dates, always finding something wrong with the man and ending it in the name of not wasting anyone’s time further. She had told herself it was because she needed to focus on her career. But she couldn’t help but feel that something in her life was missing.

And that every time she was around Embry, it felt like that something that was missing had appeared.

“This is crazy,” Mara muttered to herself. “I can’t actually be thinking about doing this…”

Everything about the situation was crazy. She was supposed to be focused on the story, not some guy she barely knew. She couldn’t let herself get distracted. However, even she couldn’t deny how often her thoughts drifted towards him. Or how she couldn’t help but smile when she thought of him or was around him.

Maybe it was time that she took Katie’s advice and just went with it.

~~~

Embry dropped into his bed, exhausted. It was late and he still had homework to finish, but he would put it off until tomorrow. He still had some time before it was due. And he didn’t think he could stand to keep his eyes open any longer after the patrol that night. They hadn’t found anything – again. It was frustrating. But at the same time, he hoped that whoever was behind the attacks had finally moved on. It had been a week since the last one at this point.

But then he realized that if they were over, that would mean Mara would have to go back to Seattle.

Another smile spread across his face as he thought about her visit earlier. It was worth taking the day off just to spend time around her. And she seemed to fit in with the others. Even though he didn’t really know what the future would hold, he felt more excited about it than he had in a long time. And he knew it was because of her.

It was amazing how everything had shifted. He suddenly wasn’t so worried about the future. All he wanted was to be with Mara. To protect her. Keep her safe. To make her happy. An image of her smile filled his mind. He wanted her to smile like that always. It was bright and a small dimple appeared on her right cheek.

Sighing, he rolled onto his back and tucked his hands behind his head as he looked up at the ceiling. He never thought that when he imprinted it would be like this. But at the same time, he felt that he wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

There was something about Mara. She was his match and he couldn’t wait to discover more about her. Sure, it would take some time. Imprintees didn’t always instantly fall in the same way that imprinters did. But he would be patient.

Mara was worth the wait.


	7. A Meeting with Swan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam comes up with an idea to keep Mara distracted from the real story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own any of the characters or previous story from Twilight, but I do own the original characters and this story.
> 
> Setting: Post-books/movies  
> Pairing: Embry/OC  
> Genre: Drama/Romance/Mystery/Action  
> Rating: M (Language, Sexual Situations, Mention of violence)

Mara hummed to herself as she walked into the police station the next day for her meeting with Chief Swan. She felt like she was finally getting somewhere with the story and was determined to push him for answers.

The families of the victims deserved to know how their loved ones truly died. And if the police weren’t going to deal with it, then she would.

“Hey, missed you last night,” a voice said. Mara stopped and nearly jumped, not hearing Mike step up to her side. She glanced over at Swan sitting at his desk in his office, but then turned back to the deputy, pasting a smile on her face. She felt slightly guilty about forgetting to text him.

“Sorry about that. I guess I got so caught in work that I forgot to check in with you,” she said, tucking her hair behind her right ear. “Hazard of being a reporter.” Mike smiled and shrugged as he put his hands in his pockets.

“It’s not a big deal. Figured as much. We could try again tonight if you’re free. Surely even reporters get a night off,” he said, leaning towards her. Mara quickly tried to come up with an excuse. An odd sensation filled her stomach at the thought of meeting him for drinks. Which was ridiculous. She wasn’t dating either man, so why did matter if she went for a couple beers with Mike?

But still… it didn’t set well with her for some reason.

“Can I get back to you?” she asked. “I mean, I’ve started on some good leads and my editor really wants me to focus on the story right now. He’s got me doing overtime just to get updates.”

“Not a problem. I understand,” Mike said. “Just let me know, yea?”

“Sure,” Mara said, watching as he started back towards his desk. She then took a deep breath and exhaled as she turned back towards the chief’s office and walked in, shutting the door behind her. “Morning, Chief Swan.”

“Take it you’re here about the coroner’s report,” he said, sitting back in his chair as Mara sat across from him.

“It was a bit scant, like the others,” she said.

“Thought it was pretty straight forward. They’re all animal attacks,” he said. Mara studied him a moment before leaning towards the desk.

“There’s something else going on here, Chief Swan. I know it. And I’m pretty sure you know it too,” she said, fixing him in a stern scowl. “Now, I’ve been nice and I’m grateful for all the information that you’ve been giving me, but I think it’s time that we were straight with each other.”

“Just want makes you think something is going on?” he asked, keeping his face neutral.

“This isn’t the first time you’ve had strange deaths,” she said bluntly. “Did you tell everyone out in La Push to keep things from me as well?” Chief Swan frowned.

“You went out to La Push?” he asked.

“Stop playing with me. I know you know,” Mara replied. Charlie sighed and looked down at his desk. He did know. Sam had called him.

“Look, Ms. Winslow. Truthfully, I don’t know what’s out there doing this. I know they look like animal attacks. And I’ve got an entire town on edge afraid to go out of their houses,” he said. “I understand why you may think there is something strange going on or that there’s some sort of cover-up, but the last thing Forks needs is some newspaper reporter riling everyone up with conspiracy theories.”

Mara frowned as she straightened up in her chair.

“They’re not conspiracy theories,” she replied. She didn’t have much evidence other than what she had felt at the crime scenes, but she didn’t want him to know that.

“Whatever it is, you have no proof that these are anything other than animal attacks,” Charlie said. “And you promised to only write the facts.” Mara looked down at her hands. He was right in a way. She couldn’t print anything without evidence backing it up. What she had so far wasn’t enough, but she wasn’t about to give up.

“I’m not going back to Seattle yet. Not until you catch whatever is doing all of this,” she said, looking up and meeting his eyes. “Not until you can prove to me that these are animal attacks and nothing more.”

_Not until I can prove that these are murders,_ she added mentally.

“You might be here awhile then, because so far we haven’t been able to track the damn beast down,” he said. “And while you’re here, you really shouldn’t be going out in the woods alone.”

“How did you know about that?” she asked.

“Same way I knew you were out at La Push yesterday,” he said, confirming her suspicions that he was keeping tabs on her.

“Fine. If I go out again, I’ll make sure someone is with me,” she said, crossing her arms in front of her.

“You shouldn’t be going out at all,” Charlie replied. Mara just glared at him. “But at the very least, take one of the deputies or call up someone at La Push.” She nodded. “And if you’re interested, the Martins have agreed to meet with you. You can go out this afternoon.”

“Really?” Mara asked.

“You said you wanted to tell the victims’ stories. Well, I’m doing what I can to help you out there,” he said. Mara nodded slowly.

“Alright. I’ll go meet with them,” she said. He grabbed a piece of paper and handed it to her. There was an address and phone number on it. “Thanks, Chief.”

“Don’t mention it,” he said wearily. Mara then stood and walked out of his office, likely off to prepare for the interview. As soon as she shut the door behind her, Charlie reached for his phone and dialed.

“Hey, Sam. She just left,” he said as soon as the other end picked up. “I sent her to the Martins for an interview.”

“Good. We need to keep her distracted until we can take care of the situation,” Sam replied.

“I’ll give her this, she’s determined,” Charlie said, glancing out into the squad room. “Said she’s not leaving until we find what’s causing the deaths.”

“We’re already working on a viable story for that,” Sam replied. “But I think there’s more we can do on our side to throw her off.” Charlie frowned.

“What’s that, exactly?” he asked. Sam chuckled.

“Don’t worry. It’s nothing you need to know about and nor is it illegal,” Sam replied. “But perhaps if we get on friendlier terms with her, she might be easier to distract.” Charlie sighed.

“You might be right there,” he replied. “I’ve got an idea on my end.”

“Alright. I’ll check in later,” Sam said.

“Bye,” Charlie said before he hung up the phone. He then reached for his cellphone and dialed up Sue.

“Hey, Sue. Think we should invite Mara over for dinner soon…”

~~~

Mike watched as Mara strode out of the station, obviously caught up in whatever Chief Swan had given her as she didn’t even stop to look around. He sighed as he looked at his computer.

They hadn’t really talked since the night he took her dinner. While anything romantic had been secondary, he had hoped to spend more time with her and thought they had got on well. He wondered what had changed. At the same time, he figured she was just focused. She was here for the story, after all. And it seemed like she was finally getting information and didn’t need his help anymore.

“What’s got you down, Newton?” Ryan asked as he sat as his desk.

“Nothing,” Mike said glancing up at him.

“She hasn’t agreed to go out with you again,” Ryan said, starting to smile. Mike frowned.

“So? I was just helping her out with the story,” he replied.

“Come on, it’s written all over your face,” Ryan said. Mike shrugged, not answering. “Heard she spent the day out at La Push yesterday.” Mike looked up at him.

“Doing what?” he asked.

“Interviews,” Ryan said. “Overheard Chief talking about it with someone on the phone.”

“She’s got gumption, I’ll give her that,” Mike said. “Been keeping up with the articles she’s written so far.”

“Everyone has,” Ryan said. “Whole town is nervous about what she’s going to write.”

“That piece on Nick White was good,” Mike countered.

“Yea, but doesn’t change the fact that she’s a reporter from Seattle. We can’t trust her completely,” Ryan said. “And you heard the Chief. He doesn’t want any of us talking to her.”

“About the case,” Mike added.

“Yea, but you take her out for drinks, what’s saying your lips don’t loosen up a bit,” Ryan said. Mike rolled his eyes.

“It’s not like any of us know more than she does at this point,” he said.

“Still, not the best idea to get too close to her,” Ryan said. “Even the Chief is telling La Push to be careful.”

Mike sighed and shook his head.

“Not going to stop me,” he said, cracking a smile at Ryan, some of his charm starting to kick in. Ryan just rolled his eyes.

“Good luck, Casanova…”

~~~

Later that day, Embry was busy stocking shelves in the drugstore. It was empty, but he needed to keep his hands busy, or else he’d likely send Mara a million text messages. He wasn’t about to come on too strong and scare her off. Even though she was still in town, he felt sharp pains in his chest every so often. He wasn’t sure how he was going to handle it when she went back to Seattle. He had a newfound respect for Jacob. It couldn’t be easy with Nessie so far away.

“Embry,” Sam said, walking into the store. “Can we talk?”

Embry looked around, noticing his boss was still in the back. He looked back at Sam and nodded.

“We need to keep Mara distracted,” he said. “The chief is working on things with the case, but I think there are some things you can do to help with that.” Embry frowned slightly. He knew that Sam was asking him to spend more time with her – and it was something that he would eagerly agree to do – but at the same time, he didn’t want to manipulate her.

“It’s for her own safety, Embry. You know this,” Sam said, sensing his hesitation.

“I know,” Embry said. “And all I want is to keep her safe.”

“We both know what’s behind this,” Sam said. “We can’t chance that she’ll cross paths with the vampire. She’ll get herself killed.” Embry frowned as he looked at the ground. They had picked up the trail again last night but were once again too late. The bloodsucker had already left the area, though luckily, he didn’t leave a body in his wake this time. More and more it felt like he was toying with them.

“Okay,” he said finally, looking up at him. “I’ll do what I can.” Sam nodded.

“Try taking her out on a date. That could be a good start,” he replied, starting to smile slightly.

“I thought you weren’t keen on… this?” Embry replied, a bit surprised by Sam’s reaction. Sam sighed.

“At the end of the day, you imprinted on her. That means she’s one of us now. So, the pack will do what we can to protect her,” Sam said. “And we all want what’s best for you. I know how painful it can get to be away from her.” A grimace passed over his own face as Embry remembered how difficult it was when he first phased and imprinted on Emily. “So, if there is anything I or the others can do to help out, we will.”

“Thanks, Sam. I appreciate it,” Embry said. Sam nodded.

“You should take her to that new place in Port Angeles. She’ll probably like it,” Sam said, smiling as he turned and walked out of the store. Embry glanced at the boxes at his feet and then reached into his pocket, pulling his phone out.

“Here goes nothing,” he said.


	8. First Dates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mara finds herself falling for Embry while he uncovers the tragedy of her past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own any of the characters or previous story from Twilight, but I do own the original characters and this story.
> 
> Setting: Post-books/movies  
> Pairing: Embry/OC  
> Genre: Drama/Romance/Mystery/Action  
> Rating: M (Language, Sexual Situations, Mention of violence)

Mara looked around the restaurant, thinking it was the right combination of cozy and fancy. It was more upscale that the BBQ place, but not stuffy. She glanced at Embry, once again surprised that she had agreed to go out with him. She had found herself saying yes without thinking when he called earlier, even though she knew that she had work to do. She still needed to write up the profile on victim No. 2 and wanted to look more into the other deaths and disappearances.

But she couldn’t say no. She wanted to see him again.

“This is nice,” she said as they sat down at a table and she began to look over the menu. “Wasn’t expecting you to call so soon.” She blushed slightly, taken aback by her comment. God, was she really flirting? Embry smiled.

“Thought maybe you could use a break from all the work,” he said casually, seeming much more at ease with this meeting.

“I could use a break. My boss has been breathing down my neck lately,” she said, returning her attention to the menu.

“He think you’re onto something?” Embry asked, glancing at her.

“He’s still on the fence, but I’m slowly bringing him around,” she said. She then put down the menu and smiled at him. “But I’m kind of tired talking shop. How was your day?”

“Normal. Boring,” he said. “Until now, anyway.” Mara blushed slightly.

“How are things out at the reservation?” she asked.

“The usual,” Embry replied. “Though we’re still going out to hunt a bit more than often. I’ve begged off a bit so I can focus on getting ready for the move.”

“Right, you said that you’re transferring to UW. Happens to be my alma mater,” Mara replied. Embry’s face lit up.

“Really?” he said, as he heart sped up. “I actually planned to go there right after high school, but… didn’t work out.”

“Hmm, so we could have met years ago,” Mara mused.

“Maybe. It’s a big campus,” he replied.

“True, but you could have had my mother as a professor. Still might. You planning on taking any history classes?” she asked as a server stepped up. They ordered and Mara turned her gaze back to Embry.

“Maybe,” he said. “So, I should look for Professor Winslow?”

“Yea and sign up early. Her classes fill up quick. Oh, and be prepared. She’s pretty tough,” Mara replied, reaching for her water glass.

“You mentioned she was a writer too?” he asked, leaning towards her.

“Well, she’s written papers and put out a few books on her work, but nothing that your average person would pick up. My grandmother was the successful author,” Mara replied. “She used the pen name D.B. Winters.” Embry’s eyebrows shot up.

“The mystery novelist?” he asked. Nearly everyone had read at least one book by the prolific author. Embry had read all of them and still had the collection on his bookshelf in his room. Mara nodded slowly.

“That would be the one,” she said. Embry chuckled.

“Seems you were born to write,” he replied. Mara shrugged.

“So, it would seem. Grandmother’s a famous novelist, Dad’s a reporter. Guess it’s just in my blood,” she said. “What about you?”

“Well, like I said, I didn’t know my dad, but my mom is a nurse at the local hospital. Guess medicine is in my blood. Spent a lot of time around a hospital growing up,” he said.

“Hopefully not because of injuries,” Mara said.

“Some… I was pretty rambunctious as a kid. But I’d go visit her too,” he said. “And she did her best. I wasn’t the easiest teenager to deal with.” Mara chuckled.

“Forgive me, but you don’t come off as the sullen, rebellious type,” she said, studying him. Embry shrugged.

“I’ve managed to adjust, but I had my moments,” he said, thinking back to when he first phased. The smile faded from Mara’s face as she thought about what it would have been like growing up with just one parent. Without ever knowing her father.

“Couldn’t have been easy for you guys,” she said softly. “I don’t know how Mom and I would have made it without my aunt and grams.” Embry just smiled.

“It wasn’t so bad. Growing up on the rez… there was always someone to look after me,” he said.

“Seems you all are close,” she said.

“Yea, we are… Though I’m closest to Quil and Jacob. They’ve been my best friends since before I can remember,” he said. “Always hanging out. We used to spend a lot of time at Jake’s place, fixing up cars and bikes.”

“You ride motorcycles?” Mara asked, intrigued. “Always wanted to, but Mom never let me. She thought they were too dangerous. Though Dad snuck me out for a ride on a neighbor’s Harley once when I was 12.”

“Never had anything as nice as a Harley. Mostly just dirt bikes,” Embry said. “Sounds like you were close with your father.” Mara’s smile dimmed slightly as she looked down at the table, a few emotions going across her face.

“Yea, we were,” she said, glancing up at him. “Being an only child and all.” She paused as the server brought their food. “He used to take me to the newsroom when I was a kid. I loved it. All the noise and chaos. Everyone on the phone or… running around trying to make deadline. He lived for it.”

“Seems you do as well,” Embry replied.

“Yea. I always thought it was this magical place,” she said, picking up her fork and starting to pick around her food. “And then when I got a bit older, I thought that being a newspaper reporter was the most important job in the world.”

Her thoughts drifted towards memories of her father.

_“What we do is so important, Mars Bar. It’s our job to tell the truth to the people,”_ her father had told her one visit. _“You should always tell the truth… even if it’s ugly.”_

_“But what if it hurts someone?”_ she had asked. Her father paused.

_“When it comes to writing articles, you can only tell the truth. The facts,”_ he said. _“If you want to do this someday, you have to be able to find the truth, no matter how scary it is. You have to be brave. People deserve to know. The families of the people who got hurt, they deserve to know the truth.”_

Something stirred in Embry as he watched her. She was looking down at her plate, her brow furrowed as she chewed on her lower lip. It was as if a deep sadness had come over her as she got lost in memory. Then suddenly she looked at up him, smiling slightly as she shook her head.

“Sorry,” she said. “I don’t usually talk so much about my dad.”

“It’s okay,” Embry said, reaching across the table and taking her hand. Mara stared at it a moment, taking in her small hand in his much larger one. It was so warm and comforting, though she swore sparks flew up her arm. It was a much smaller reaction than when he had hugged her the day before. “You don’t have to talk about it if it’s too hard.”

“It’s fine,” Mara said, looking up and meeting his eyes. “I… it’s good to talk about him. The good times, at least.” Embry offered her a comforting smile as he let go of her hand and slid his back across the table. Mara returned her attention to her food. “What’s your mom like?” Embry chuckled.

“She’s probably the strongest woman I know. We’re pretty close, though I’m sure she probably wanted to throw me out a few times in high school,” he said. “Had some epic fights.”

“How does she feel about you going to Seattle?” Mara asked.

“It was tough for her at first, but she wants me to go. It’s too good an opportunity to pass up,” he said.

“That’s good to hear,” Mara said. It was on the tip of Embry’s tongue to suggest Mara meet her, but at the same time he reminded himself he needed to take things slow. She wouldn’t develop feelings as quickly as he did and there was a still a chance that she could reject him, though that had yet to happen in either pack. He didn’t want to chance that he’d be the first. “The way you talk about her, she seems pretty incredible.”

“She always told me that I could do anything if I worked for it,” he replied. “Encouraged me to follow my dreams and all.”

“Sounds like a good mom,” Mara said, smiling. Embry nodded.

“So… what should I know about UW…”

~~~

Mara laughed as she leaned towards Embry, bracing herself against his shoulder to keep from falling off the stool. After dinner, they had moved down the street to a bar. It was busy, but not so loud that they had to yell at each. Though she had to admit that she enjoyed the excuse to get closer. She could feel the heat radiating off his body again. How was it possible for someone to be so warm?

“Seriously?! How did you get away with that?” she asked, looking up at him as her hair fell in her face. He reached out and tucked it behind her ear, sending another chill through her body.

“I’m pretty sure they knew we had snuck off,” he replied. “But for some reason they let us off with it. And you’re telling me that you never tried anything like that?” Mara shook her head.

“Dad was an investigative reporter, remember? Swear he was a human lie detector and had some sort of trouble radar,” she replied, reaching for her beer. She looked up at him, noticing that he seemed completely in control, even though they had just gotten their third beers and had wine at the restaurant. She was already starting to feel a little tipsy. “Are you sure you should be drinking so much? You do have to drive back.”

“I, ah, gotta high tolerance. Don’t worry about it,” he replied before taking a sip, though he made sure it was a smaller one. Thanks to the wolves’ high metabolism, he burned through alcohol much faster than humans and it was rare that they could get drunk. But he reminded himself that Mara still had no clue about what he was. He needed to get better at hiding it from her, though he didn’t want to. He found he wanted to share everything about himself with her. He waved down a bartender and ordered a water, if anything to appease Mara. “Now, I don’t believe for a second that you were the perfect child or teenager,” he said, looking back at her. Mara chuckled.

“I mean, I got grounded a lot for not cleaning my room. Oh, and I did get into trouble in high school while working on the newspaper. But my parents were more proud than upset,” she replied.

“What did you do?” Embry asked.

“Well… I was convinced the vice principal was misappropriating school funds, so I launched my own investigation into it,” she said, her face serious.

“Wait, seriously? How would you even do that as a high school student?” Embry asked. Mara burst into laughter.

“I didn’t,” she admitted. “No, it was my columns that got me in trouble the most. I was pretty opinionated, and it ruffled a few feathers. My newspaper advisor loved it, though the principal and vice principal, not so much. Suppose my series on what they were putting in the school lunches didn’t win me any favors either.”

“So you were a rebel,” Embry said, smiling in pride down at her. Mara shrugged.

“All in a day’s work,” she replied. “Just trying to live up to the very large shoes that my father left.”

“What’s been your favorite story?” Embry asked, leaning towards her again. Mara looked off, thinking for a moment.

“I think… it was… when I first started on the gen news desk, I got assigned to write about this after school center in one of the poorer neighborhoods in Seattle. They had some festival going on and at first I thought it was just going to be a boring fluff piece. But then I got there and they let me interview some of the kids…” she stopped for a moment, a soft smile coming across her face. “These kids… some of them had some pretty hard shit in their lives, but they were… so hopeful.” She looked up at Embry. “I’ll never forget that piece. I actually started volunteering there… I do a junior reporter class and help them put out a monthly newsletter.”

“That’s pretty cool,” he admitted. Without thinking, he placed his hand on her knee as it bumped into his again. Mara shrugged, trying to keep from smiling too big at the touch.

“I do it for them,” she said, reaching for her beer again.

“Mara?”

Both Embry and Mara turned, seeing Mike and another one of the deputies standing near. The other deputy seemed a bit amused, though Mike wore a look of surprise. “Suppose this is why I didn’t hear back from you.”

Mara sputtered on her beer a bit as Embry frowned, sizing up the other man. He couldn’t help as his protective instincts took over.

“Mike! Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I totally forgot again,” she said, putting her beer down as she glanced over at Embry. His hand was still sitting on her knee. “I was just working on the story… and then Embry asked me out as a last-minute thing.”

Mike looked over at Embry and nodded.

“Not sure if we’ve ever officially met, Mike Newton,” he said, holding his hand out.

“Embry Call. And I’ve seen you. You work with Chief Swan,” he said, shaking his hand firmly. Mike winced slightly, though tried to cover it up.

“We met when I was out at La Push yesterday,” Mara said. “And Mike’s been helping me out with the case.”

“I see,” Embry said, still not taking his eyes of the blonde man.

“Well, we’ll let you guys get back to your date,” Mike said, offered Mara a tight smile before they walked off. Mara turned around to face the bar, glancing at Embry out of the corner of her eye. She wasn’t sure why she was so concerned about what he thought. She was single. Mike had only been helping her with the case.

It’s not like they were together or she had any reason to explain anything.

“Really, he’s only been helping me out. He’s the one that took me out to the first accident scene,” she said. Embry looked over at her, willing himself to calm down. He could sense that she was telling the truth, though he hadn’t liked the way Mike looked at her. He offered her a smile.

“No worries,” he said, reaching for his beer.

“Honestly, there’s nothing there,” Mara said before she could stop herself. Seriously, why was she so concerned about this? She shook her head and looked at her beer.

“Really, Mara. It’s okay,” he said, his voice soft. Mara looked over at him, noticing that he was calm, offering her a reassuring smile. “But… it is getting late and I promised I’d have you back by a decent time.”

Mara glanced at her watch, noticing it was nearly 11 pm. She didn’t want the date to end, but she knew he was right. She would have to get up early the next day and didn’t want to be hungover.

“Suppose you’re right,” she said with a sigh before finishing her beer and putting the bottle back down on the bar. She then grabbed her purse and slid off the stool, looking up at him. “Let’s go.”

~~~

A dreamy smile came across Mara’s face as she sighed happily and leaned against the door after arriving back at the motel. Embry had walked her up to the door and just before he left, she had quickly kissed him on the cheek. She was still blushing furiously, but the grin on Embry’s face left a warm feeling in her stomach.

She was so caught up in everything that she didn’t even check the caller ID when her phone rang.

“Hello?” she said breathlessly.

“Mar? What the- you went on date,” Katie declared. Mara quickly shook her head as her eyes widened.

“It wasn’t… er… shit. It was a date,” she said, tossing her purse in the chair next to the table.

“Shit, it was a date. Okay…” Katie said. Mara rolled her eyes, though she couldn’t help but smile. “Spill. Now. Which hottie was it?”

“His name is Embry,” Mara started. “From La Push.”

“You’re giving me a name? You must be feeling a little somethin-somethin for him,” Katie said.

“I, well, it’s strange,” Mara said, glancing towards the window as she started pacing in small circles. “I mean, I literally just met him yesterday, but… there’s some sort of… connection, I guess? I don’t know. It’s like I’ve known him forever, but I haven’t. And I’ve never felt like this before. I’ve never fallen this fast for someone.” She stopped. “Am I crazy for feeling like this?”

“Oh, sweetie. I think it’s great,” Katie said.

“I mean, I’ve been telling him things that I never tell anyone I’ve dated. I’ve talked to him about Dad,” Mara said. “And he’s not running away screaming. In fact, he just gets closer.”

“Mar, how many times have I told you, it’s okay to open up,” Katie said gently. “The right guy will understand. And it seems like this Embry could be the right kind of guy.”

“He’s moving to Seattle,” Mara said. “Finishing up a pre-med degree at UW, then going for med school.” Katie squealed, causing Mara to hold the phone away from her ear momentarily. There was the Katie she was expecting.

“Okay, you need to tell me everything about this guy. Right now,” Katie demanded. “And the first time he comes to visit, you’re bringing him right to me. I need to suss him out. Make sure he’s good enough for my Mara.”

Mara rolled her eyes.

“Protective, much?” she asked, though she couldn’t help but smile. She liked the idea of introducing Embry to Katie. And her mother. Perhaps Richard too.

“Seriously, Mar! I can hear it in your voice. You are happy about this guy,” Katie said.

“But isn’t it strange that it’s all so fast?” Mara asked.

“Pssh, sometimes it happens like that,” Katie said nonchalantly.

“Yea, in movies and books. Not real life,” Mara shot back.

“Sometimes it does happen in real life,” Katie urged. “For whatever reason, it’s happening to you. What did I say about going with it?” Mara sighed.

“Suppose you’re right,” she conceded as she sat on the bed. “Okay… so about Embry…”

~~~

Embry was still smiling as he walked into his room and sat on the edge of his bed. Outside of the run-in with the deputy, everything about the night had been perfect. The more he got to know about Mara, the more he found himself falling for her.

She was all the things every guy said they wanted in a woman – smart, funny, beautiful. And then there was her passion for what she did. An openness that seemed to appear the more time they spent together.

And yet, there were things she was still holding back. Though, he wasn’t so concerned. They had time to learn everything about each other. And he was still keeping a rather big secret from her. He glanced over at his open laptop as an idea entered his head. He wanted to hear the story from Mara, but his curiosity was getting the better of him as he pushed off the bed and walked to his desk.

The more she spoke about her father, the more he wanted to know about him. He was the reason Mara went into journalism after all. And he could tell that even though he had been gone a long time, he still had a large effect on her.

He quickly went to Google and stopped, thinking about what to search first. He didn’t know her father’s name but figured he could start with looking up Mara.

He typed “Mara Winslow, reporter.” The only thing that came up were her stories, both from The Times and The Daily at UW. There was no mention of her father anywhere. Frowning, he went to the UW website and started searching for “Winslow” in the faculty records. He then found her mother – Trudy Winslow. Going back to Google, he started to search her and found an article headlined “Times reporter found dead”.

Clicking on it, he started through the article, his heart dropping the more he read. This wasn’t what he was expecting to find.

_“Long-time crime reporter Harry Carpenter was found dead in his home Tuesday night due to a gunshot wound. Police believe it was suicide, though are currently still investigating. Carpenter was found by his 15-year-old daughter and his wife Trudy Winslow, a history professor at the University of Washington… Carpenter was working at The Seattle Times at the time of his death but previously worked with The Los Angeles Daily Times… he won a Pulitzer as part of the team that uncovered a corruption scandal in the LAPD…”_

Frowning, Embry stopped reading and sat back in his chair. Her father wasn’t just a crime reporter - he was a Pulitzer winner. And he hadn’t died of natural causes like he had assumed. Suicide. What’s more, Mara didn’t go by her father’s last name. A plethora of questions began running through his mind.

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there in his thoughts, though a knock on the door brought him back to reality. He looked at the time, noting that his mom was still at the hospital working a night shift.

“Come in,” he said. Jacob pushed the door in, smiling.

“Wanted to see how the date went- What’s wrong?” he said, coming into the room. Embry sighed and looked at his laptop.

“Found out how Mara’s dad died,” he said. “Killed himself. And apparently, he was a big reporter. Won a Pulitzer.”

“She told you that?”

“No… I looked it up. She goes by her mother’s name for some reason,” he said with a sigh. “His name was Harry Carpenter…”

“Wow…” Jacob said. “Thought maybe it was heart attack or something…”

“Me too. I can’t imagine what it was like for her… seeing something like that at 15. She said she was really close to him,” Embry replied. Jacob was silent a few moments.

“What is it with reporters and tragic life stories,” he muttered to himself, causing Embry to look over at him.

“What do you mean?” he asked. Jacob shook his head.

“Nothing. Just… not the first reporter I’ve met with a tough life,” he replied.

“You mean the latest vampire that joined the Cullens. The one that’s with the Volturi tracker? Wasn’t she an investigative reporter?” he asked. Jacob nodded.

“Cecily. And it got her killed… well, sort of. The Cullens saved her,” Jacob replied. Embry felt his heart clench. Would Mara always be in danger because of her work? “But I’m sure Mara doesn’t do stories like that… Cess focused on corruption in the government and some seriously powerful, dangerous people.”

“And Mara is going to write about murderers and serial killers,” Embry replied.

“I’m sure it’s not as dangerous as it seems. Cess seemed to be overly involved with her stories. More than the average reporter and she always worked alone,” Jacob said quickly. “From what I can tell, they don’t typically do that. Besides, Mara’s got you to look after her now.”

“I’m beginning to feel like it’s going to be a full-time job keeping her safe,” Embry replied. Jacob sighed as he walked over and put his hand on Embry’s shoulder, squeezing.

“It’s not going to be like that,” he said. “But if you’re worried, just ask her. I’m sure she’ll tell you.” Embry nodded.

“Yea,” he said. “And… even though it worries me, just seeing how much she loves doing it, I’d never try to talk her out of it.” Jacob offered him a smile.

“You’ll figure it out,” he said. “Outside of that, how was the date?” Embry chuckled.

“Good. Really good,” he said, looking up at his friend. Jacob smiled.

“See, things are going to be fine,” he said. Embry nodded.

“I hope they are.”


	9. To Hide the Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another hiker is found dead in the forest as the culprit slips through the lines yet again. Mara is more convinced that something is off and the chief and others are hiding something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own any of the characters or previous story from Twilight, but I do own the original characters and this story.
> 
> Setting: Post-books/movies  
> Pairing: Embry/OC  
> Genre: Drama/Romance/Mystery/Action  
> Rating: M (Language, Sexual Situations, Mention of violence)

Embry stopped and lifted his nose to the air, sniffing. There. It was strong this time.

_He’s still in the area,_ he said, taking off at breakneck speed through the forest. He could hear the rest of the pack around him, all of them moving sleekly in and out of trees. It had started as just another patrol, but Quil got a strong whiff of the vampire’s scent and within minutes they had called in the rest of the packs and started to give chase.

_We’re going to take this bloodsucker down tonight!_

_Stay focused! He’s evaded us this far. We can’t get overconfident!_

_There’s something up ahead. I think it’s a body._

_Embry, Quil, check it out with me. The rest are going to keep on the trail with Sam._

Embry slid to a stop as he came into the clearing. The moon lit up the area, though he didn’t have much difficulty seeing in the dark. He trotted up to the body lying in the clearing and assessed it before looking back at Quil and Jacob.

_He’s already gone,_ he said.

_Damnit! Don’t people know to stay out of the woods?!_ Jacob shouted. Embry looked back down at the body.

_It’s fresh. We can’t be that far behind,_ he said.

_We wait to hear back from Sam before we let Chief Swan know,_ Jacob said. _I don’t want anyone from town out here until we know it’s safe._

The three of them started sniffing around the clearing, looking for anything that might help them in case the vampire got away. There was a howl far off.

_They’re coming back,_ Jacob said. Quil and Embry were already hearing Seth and Leah, though. The vampire had gotten away. Again. The trail went cold at the ocean. Again.

_Dammit,_ Quil said. _Thought for sure we’d get him this time._

_We should phase out. Makes it easier to talk,_ Jacob ordered. The three phased back and quickly dressed as the rest joined them in the clearing, doing the same. They all looked at Sam and Jacob.

“This guy, whoever he is, he knows the area. It’s the only way he could have managed to evade us this whole time,” Jacob said. Sam nodded, looking over at the body.

“It’s okay to call Chief Swan. My pack will watch the coast in case he comes back, though I’m sending a couple back to bring over some cars to make it look like we were out here hunting. You should have Seth and Leah watch the woods around the clearing. You can join them after you talk to the chief,” he said. He was silent a few moments before looking at Jacob. “I think it’s time to call in the Cullens.” Jacob nodded.

“I’ll get them on the phone after we call the chief,” he said. Sam’s pack took off through the trees with Seth and Leah, while Jacob pulled out his phone and started talking to Chief Swan.

“Who do you think this is? One of those vamps that were here for Nessie?” Quil asked. Embry shook his head.

“They were with the Cullens. Even if they weren’t vegetarians, they wouldn’t do anything like this,” Embry said.

“You seem pretty trusting,” Quil replied. Embry shrugged.

“I’m surprised the Cullens haven’t insisted on coming down by now,” he said.

“Same,” Quil replied. “Though we only know that Edward, Bella and Nessie are in Vancouver. The others could be far away.” They both looked over at Jacob, who glanced at them.

“Yea, you should probably get down here,” they heard him say before he turned his back and walked off a bit.

“Who do you think they’ll send?” Quil asked.

“Hoping it’s the tracker. Could make our life a lot easier,” Embry replied. Quil frowned.

“Yea, but he’s Volturi,” Quil replied.

“Not full-time anymore, from what I heard,” Embry said. Quil just shook his head as Jacob walked back over.

“Chief and the rest are on their way. We’re to stay here for statements,” he said. “And the Cullens are sending Rosalie, Emmett, Demetri and Cess. Should be here by tomorrow at the latest. They happened to be nearby. Esme and Carlisle were in Vancouver with Nessie, but Bella and Edward are in Europe and Alice and Jasper are somewhere in Nepal. Traveling.”

“So, now we wait…”

~~~

Mara laughed as she reached for her wine glass, glancing at Chief Swan. Even though he was the one that invited her to dinner, he seemed slightly uncomfortable having her in his house, even after a couple beers. Perhaps he was still sore that Mara had accused him of covering up a murder. She was actually surprised when he invited her over. Sue, on the other hand, was the perfect hostess.

“I swear, I have never eaten roast this good since my Grams,” Mara said, focusing on Sue.

“Stop, you’ll make me blush,” Sue said.

“I’m serious! I mean, I do a fair amount of cooking on my own, but I haven’t mastered a roast just yet,” Mara said, smiling. “Mom still insists on taking care of Thanksgiving and Christmas on her own.”

“Yes, but that cobbler recipe you gave me, you must be good if you can do that,” Sue said, chuckling. Mara shrugged.

“I did learn that one straight from my Grams,” she admitted.

“So, I hear you’ve been spending time with some of the guys from La Push,” Sue said casually, causing Mara to choke on her wine. Even Charlie cracked a smile.

“I will never get used to how small towns work,” Mara confessed, putting her glass down as her cheeks heated up.

“My son and daughter still live out there - Seth and Leah Clearwater,” Sue said smiling. Mara’s eyebrows raised as she recognized Seth’s name. “Heard you met with Embry Call last night.” Mara looked over at the woman, sensing she knew a lot more than that. Did the entire town of La Push know about the date?

“Just… blowing off some steam,” Mara said, keeping her voice light.

“That so,” Sue said knowingly. Charlie just looked back and forth between his wife and the reporter, suddenly realizing what Sam meant by keeping her distracted. Though he wouldn’t have thought setting her up with one of the guys from the reservation would work. Granted it was a better option than her spending time with Mike Newton. “I’m pretty good friends with his mother, Tiffany.”

Mara felt the blood drain from her face. Had he told his mother about her? Oh, god. She hadn’t even mentioned him to her mom yet, though she had said that she was getting to know some of the locals.

“Really? He seems really close to her,” Mara said, focusing on her dinner as she took a bite.

“She’s a good woman. Sweet. I think she’d like you,” Sue said, reaching for her own glass.

_“Dear god, let this end,”_ Mara thought to herself.

God must have been listening because at that moment, Charlie’s phone rang. He looked at the screen and then excused himself. Mara watched him go, wondering if there was any way she could sneak after him and listen in. She looked over at Sue, who’s previous amused expression had changed to one of worry.

“Do you think it’s another hiker?” Mara asked.

“Shouldn’t be… we’ve been warning folks from going out after dark,” Sue said, her brow furrowed. The concern was clear in her face.

“What is it?” Mara asked, fear starting to sneak into her own heart.

“Honestly, I don’t know,” Sue said. Mara looked down at her plate, suddenly remembering that the guys at La Push were helping hunt down whatever was causing the attacks. Her heart stopped as she looked back towards where the chief had left. Surely Embry was fine. He couldn’t possibly be hurt. All the guys were large. Surely if they were out in the woods, they were capable of taking care of themselves. Even against a serial killer.

He came back in, a grim look on his face. He stopped when he saw Mara, surprised by the worry there.

“That was Jacob,” he said. “They were out hunting and came across another body. I’m headed out there now.”

Mara immediately jumped to her feet and was sliding on her coat.

“Just what do you think you’re doing?” he asked, scowling at her.

“I’m going with you,” Mara said, reaching for her bag.

“No, you’re not. You can stay here with Sue or you can go back to the motel, but you are not going out to the accident site,” he said. Mara looked up at him.

“If it’s just animal attacks, why are you so worried?” Mara asked, challenging him. Charlie was silent. “And if you don’t let me go with you, I’ll just go out there myself.” He stared at her a moment before sighing.

“Fine. But stay out of the way,” he warned. Mara nodded and followed him as he walked out of the kitchen, grabbing his coat and gun on the way towards the door. “And for god’s sake, do not inform your editor until I’ve cleared it.”

“Yes, chief.”

~~~

Mara was out of the car and jogging towards the clearing before Charlie had even turned it off. Lights had already been set up with Mike and another deputy putting tape up around the clearing. This was something new. The previous sites were located farther off from the trails. This one was closer.

“Ms. Winslow!” Chief Swan shouted after her. “MARA!”

She reached the police line and was about to crawl under it when a deputy, she vaguely remembered his name was Ryan, stopped her.

“Sorry, Ms. Winslow, police officials only,” he said. Mara glared at him and then looked over towards the clearing. There was a tarp covering the body. She studied it a few moments as the heaviness start to creep in. It wasn’t as strong since she was still a ways off, but it was there nonetheless. Off to the side, she saw an officer talking to three men. Her eyes widened when she recognized them.

“What are they doing here?” she asked, looking at Ryan.

“They discovered the body,” he replied.

“I thought I told you to wait,” Chief Swan said, reaching the tape. Mara turned to him, frowning.

“Don’t worry. Mr. Deputy here didn’t let me pass,” she spat back. Charlie sighed and stooped under the tape.

“Watch her,” he said to Ryan as he started towards the group of men. Mara kept a close eye on them, wishing she knew how to read lips. Swan sent the officer away and stepped closer to the men, speaking with them. Jacob was talking as Swan nodded his head and looked over at the body.

“Was this one just like the others?” Mara asked, her eyes still trained on the group. Ryan snorted.

“I am not about to tell you anything,” he said. “I like my job and don’t care to lose it.” Mara just shook her head as she scowled at him. When she looked back at the group, they were all looking at her. Embry looked back at them and said something, then walked over to her.

“Mara, what are you doing here?” he asked.

“I was at the chief’s house for dinner when the call came in. Got him to bring me along,” she said. “What were you doing out here at night?”

“We were trying to track down whatever is causing this,” he said.

“Where’s your gun?” she asked, crossing her arms in front of her as she took in his shorts and t-shirt.

“In the car. I’m parked over there. Put it up when we found the body,” he said, nodding his head towards the group of cars nearby. He was suddenly glad that the pack had thought to bring his over. She glanced over, seeing his old jeep and looked back at him.

“Doesn’t seem to be normal hunting attire,” she replied.

“Mara,” Embry said, sounding slightly exasperated. She was already in her bag, digging out a notebook. “Come on, I told the chief I’d take you back to your car.”

“No, I have work to do,” she said, not looking up at him.

“You’re going home. There’s nothing to see here and that thing might still be out there,” he said, his voice stern.

“I need to do this,” she said, glaring at him.

“The chief isn’t going to give you anything tonight and you can’t see a damn thing anyway,” Embry replied. “Chief Swan said that he’ll talk to you in the morning and tell you everything they find.” Mara looked up at him and then over at the chief, who was now crouched on the ground, lifting the tarp.

“Fine,” she said. Embry sighed in relief and stepped under the tape, leading her over to his jeep. Mara kept looking back over her shoulder.

“Don’t know why he let me come if he was just going to send me back as soon as I got here,” she huffed as she climbed in. She buckled in and crossed her arms in front of her as Embry started the car.

“Did you give him any other choice?” he asked.

“Not really,” she replied. She kept looking towards the site as they started to pull away. “I need to get back there.”

“Why?” Embry asked, glancing at her.

“Just… I need to,” she said, not looking at him. Embry was silent, waiting for her to further explain, but she didn’t.

“Is it important to the story?” he asked softly. Mara nodded. “Okay… well… once the police have cleared out, I’ll see about taking you out there tomorrow.” Mara looked over at him, confused.

“Why are you helping me?” she asked. Embry chuckled.

“You’re going to do it anyway. At least I can be there to look out for you,” he admitted. Mara looked back out the windshield, though she kept glancing at him.

“Thanks,” she said.

“Mara, you should know by now that if you need anything, all you have to do is ask,” he said, smiling slightly. She kept glancing at him but started to feel her anger dissipate.

“I’ll remember that,” she said.

“Now, guessing you left your car at Swan’s place?” he asked. Mara nodded. “We’ll head there and then I’m following you back to the motel.”

“I’m not going to try going back out to the site,” Mara said, rolling her eyes.

“I know. It’s for my own peace of mind,” he said. “Another person was killed tonight.” Mara studied him.

“You don’t think that the animal would come into town, do you?” she asked. Embry sighed. He knew that she didn’t think it was an animal. But he could also sense a hint of fear in her voice.

“It’s going to be fine,” he said. “But I would feel better if you stayed in your motel room with the door locked the rest of the night.”

“Got it,” she said.

~~~

“Shouldn’t have been surprised to see Mara here,” Quil commented after Embry walked off.

“That damn reporter is going to be the death of me,” Charlie said.

“She’s getting too close,” Jacob said with a sigh.

“Speaking of, you really think it’s a good idea for her to be getting so close to Embry with all the… you know?” Charlie asked, looking over at him and Quil. Jacob glanced at Quil and back over at the police chief.

“Trust me, it’s okay,” Jacob said. Charlie studied him a moment before nodding.

“Need to know stuff?” he asked.

“Yea,” Jacob replied. Charlie sighed and looked over at the body.

“Suppose I’ll finish up here and then try and figure out just what to tell her tomorrow,” he said. “I’ll send Mike over to get your full statements and then you can go. Tell Embry to come by tomorrow so we can get his.” He then walked off, going to inspect the body.

“Wait, he doesn’t know about imprinting?” Quil asked quietly. Jacob shook his head.

“Felt it best to keep his knowledge to a minimum. Besides, how do you think he’d react if he found out I imprinted on his granddaughter?” Jacob asked, looking over at Quil.

“Fair enough,” he replied. “How long you think this will take?”

“Don’t know,” Jacob said, looking around for Newton.

“Hopefully it’s not too late. I’ve got work tomorrow,” Quil replied.

“Me too…”

~~~

Mara stood at the window and watched through the blinds as Embry got back in his jeep then drove off. She couldn’t lie to herself - she was seriously tempted to hop back in her car and go back out to the site. But she also knew that the police would still be there and wouldn’t give her anything. And even though Embry had said he was going home and would give his statement to Chief Swan tomorrow morning, if Jacob or Quil were still there, they would tell him. She had promised she wouldn’t go, so she would keep it.

And as much as she wanted to call Richard right away and tell him, the chief hadn’t given her the go-ahead. Even though she didn’t trust the chief, she found in just the few days she had been in Forks, she had developed a bit of loyalty.

Not to mention she didn’t want to shut off the flow of information just yet.

Sighing, she moved away from the window and stepped around the piles of documents over to her suitcase, pulling out a pair of pajamas, then making her way to the shower. It had been another long day of interviews and research, and to be honest, she was tired.

She started the hot water and let it run while she got undressed, then stepped in, just standing there for a few minutes letting it pour over her and release the tension in her shoulders.

Going to the scene had been a bust. And even though she was going back out tomorrow, she really had hoped to see one of the bodies for herself. The diagrams in the reports weren’t good enough and she felt there was something missing. Something that would fill in the blanks and give her the evidence that she needed. Mara wasn’t an expert on animals or bite marks, but if she could just see them, she would have something to work with. Maybe call up an expert and get a second opinion.

She quickly washed her hair and body, then got out, drying off. After she dressed and pulled her hair up into a wet bun, she walked out and looked at the piles of reports, articles and such lain around the room. Going to the stack of photocopied articles, she sighed and sat down picking them up.

Maybe if she read through them again, something would pop out at her.

She was missing something. And she was damn sure going to find it.


	10. Too Close

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mara is convinced things are being covered up and Embry and the wolves are running out of ideas to throw her off without telling her the truth. Meanwhile, the vampires arrive to help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own any of the characters or previous story from Twilight, but I do own the original characters and this story.
> 
> Setting: Post-books/movies  
> Pairing: Embry/OC  
> Genre: Drama/Romance/Mystery/Action  
> Rating: M (Language, Sexual Situations, Mention of violence)

Mara couldn’t help but yawn as she walked into the police station the next morning around 8 am. She had spent nearly the entire night going back through everything she had on the case, determined to find her evidence.

She had found nothing, unfortunately, but at least had an idea of where to start with the day’s work ahead of her.

She pushed her sunglasses up on her head as she walked in, a large coffee in her other hand. Walking passed the receptionist, she headed straight for the chief’s office but stopped, seeing Embry already seated there and Chief Swan writing something down as he spoke.

“You look a bit how I feel,” Mike said, walking up to her. Mara whipped her head around to look at him, blinking slightly. She glanced down, taking in the jeans and hoodie she had thrown on without thinking. She was in a rush to get to the station and had just grabbed whatever was close, forgoing makeup and hastily redoing her bun. Besides, she knew she’d be out in the woods most of the day anyway, so what did it matter how she looked?

“It’s cloudy and you’ve got sunglasses on,” Mike said.

“Spent most of the night going back through everything I have so far,” she replied. “How late were you guys out there?”

“About 4 am, I think,” he said with a sigh. “Think the guys from La Push were out pretty late as well. Group of them were searching the woods for whatever it was that did the attack. We had to clear the scene before we could leave.”

Mike shuffled on his feet slightly, glancing towards the chief’s office nervously, before grabbing Mara’s arm and pulling her over out of Chief Swan’s sight.

“What’s going on, Mike?” she asked, glancing around the office. It was mostly empty, but she assumed most of the officers were back out in the woods hunting or sleeping in.

“Look, I’ve been trying to get you out so we could talk without the chief nearby,” he said, glancing over towards his office again. Mara’s eyes widened. “I think the chief is trying to cover something up too and I’m tired of going with it.”

“What?” Mara whispered.

“I don’t know how long we have, but what I can tell you now is that those wounds – they aren’t anything I’ve ever seen from an animal attack,” he said quickly. “If you can meet for lunch, I’ll try and bring stuff to you.”

Mara nodded, too stunned to speak.

“What is it about the wounds?” she asked finally. Mike looked back over, seeing Embry start to stand.

“It’s just the bites were weird and… they were completely drained of blood,” he said. He then quickly walked off and sat at his desk just as Embry opened the chief’s door. After a few moments of staring at Mike, perplexed, she walked over to Embry.

“You look like you didn’t sleep last night,” he said, concern clearly written on his face.

“Yea, got caught up looking over stuff again,” she said, a tense smile on her face. Embry could clearly see that she was keeping something from him.

“Well, I’ll wait and when you’re done, we can head out,” he said. Mara nodded and walked past him into the chief’s office.

“Mara,” Chief Swan said with a sigh as he sat back in his chair. Mara sat across from him and placed her coffee on his desk.

“What can you tell me?” she asked, pulling out her notebook and a pen, looking at him expectantly.

“Jared Wells. Lives about a mile away from the site. He was out searching for a lost dog. His girlfriend said she tried to get him to stay in, but he was worried that the animal might get it,” he said with a sigh. Mara paused in her writing and looked up at him, an eyebrow raised. “We think it’s a bear.”

“A bear?” she asked, thinking over what Mike had told her and the articles she went through last night.

“Yep. Some of the guys said they found bear tracks in the area,” the chief replied.

“And they just found these at this site? Not any of the others?” Mara asked. The chief was silent. “Thought so.” Mara snapped her notebook shut and stuck it back in her bag as she stood and grabbed her coffee.

“Where are you going? Don’t you want the report?” Swan asked. He held out a folder. Mara grabbed it from him and turned, striding out of the office, leaving a gaping police chief in her wake.

Embry shot to his feet and quickly made to follow her as she walked quickly out of the police station.

“I’ll follow you,” she said, pulling her sunglasses back on as she made for her car. Embry stopped momentarily, wondering just what had happened while she was in the office. He then quickly made his way to his own jeep and climbed in.

Once they were on the road, Mara turned the music down.

“Call Richard,” she said clearly. There were only a couple dial tones before Richard picked up.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“Another death last night. And I know the chief and some of the locals are hiding things,” she said.

“A fourth death?” he asked.

“One of the deputies told me that the bodies were completely void of blood,” Mara said. “That was definitely not in the report.”

There was silence on the other end.

“I’m on my way back out to the site. See if there’s anything I can find. I was only there for a few minutes last night before the chief sent me off,” she continued. “Richard?”

“Just thinking,” he replied.

“There is definitely something going on. I mean, I’m up to maybe 10 odd attacks or disappearances since 2005 if you count the recent attacks,” she said. “Including that Times reporter a few years ago.”

“And you think they’re all related?” he asked.

“They have to be, right?” she said. “They all said bear attack. And guess what the chief just told me. They magically found prints of a bear around the latest scene.”

There was more silence. Then finally Richard took a deep breath and let it out.

“Keep at it. Get more evidence. And for god’s sake, be safe, Mara,” he said.

“What makes you think I’m not?” she replied.

“Mar, you’ve got good instincts. You remind me of your dad in that way,” he said. “But if you’ve stumbled upon a serial killer – one that the police are covering for – be careful. You and I both know what some people are capable of in order to keep something hidden.”

“I’m being careful,” she said. “But I’ll be damned if someone gets away with murder on my watch.”

“I’m serious, Mar,” he urged. “Don’t get yourself killed. I don’t like the idea of you being out in the woods, whether it’s a homicidal maniac or a rabid bear.”

“I’m fine. I got this,” Mara said. “I’ll update you later after I have lunch with the deputy. He said he’s got more to show me.”

“Alright,” he replied. He then hung up. Mara sighed as she turned off the highway, following Embry’s jeep off the main road onto a wide dirt path that would take them directly to the accident site. He pulled to a stop and got out as Mara parked and climbed out of her own car.

She was silent as she walked passed him and straight into the clearing where she stopped in the middle. She looked around the surrounding forest and then down at the ground, before crouching down. Frowning, she pushed her sunglasses off her face and closed her eyes as a heaviness settled on her body.

Embry stood towards the edge of the clearing, watching her. He wasn’t sure what she was doing.

“Mara?” he said.

“Shh,” she said, silencing him. He crossed his arms in front of him, wondering what had happened. She was upset at being sent home but was still warm to him. But then this morning she was tense and even more closed off. He could feel a definite shift.

Suddenly, Mara stood and stepped back, her eyes still trained on the ground. Embry cautiously walked up to her, looking down at her.

“Is everything okay?” he asked softly.

“I don’t like being lied to,” she said, her eyes still on the ground.

“I haven’t lied to you,” he said.

“But I am being lied to,” she replied. “This wasn’t an animal attack. I know it.” Embry frowned. He looked around the clearing and then stepped over to the side.

“Here,” he said. Mara looked over at him and slowly made her way to him. “These are bear tracks.” He pointed at the ground. Mara squinted as she crouched down, barely making out the prints in the dirt.

“Doesn’t mean a bear did this,” she said, studying them. Embry sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. This was going to be harder than any of them thought. She was now officially hooked on the idea of a cover-up and he was running out of ideas to get her off it.

“Who are you?” someone shouted out. They both looked over as Mara jumped to her feet. Three people were making their way towards them through the trees. They were all impossibly beautiful and oddly pale. Embry recognized them immediately.

The vampires had arrived.

He took a deep breath, wishing Edward had been with them so he could communicate without tipping Mara off. But at least they had sent the tracker – Demetri - and the reporter - Cecily. She would at least know how to handle Mara. And to be honest, Rosalie had always been a bit scary.

“Mara Winslow, The Seattle Times. Who are you?” she asked, frowning at them. Rosalie glanced at Cecily, an eyebrow raised as she studied the two.

“We’re from the state investigation bureau,” Cecily said smoothly, making her way to them. Mara frowned as she studied the redhead, finding something about her strangely familiar.

“I didn’t know the chief had called in the SIB,” she said.

“We’re here to help since the deaths have gone on a bit too long to our liking,” Rosalie replied. “I was unaware that the press was involved.”

Embry prayed that Mara wouldn’t ask to see credentials. He wasn’t sure if the three had thought to bring them or if they had just made up the SIB bit on the fly.

“Just me,” Mara replied, offering them a smile. Finally, someone who might actually get to the bottom of what was going on, she thought. She felt like she finally had some allies besides Mike in Forks. “Good thing you guys are here. I don’t think these are animal attacks.”

All three vampires looked at Embry, who shifted on his feet slightly. He was standing behind Mara and shook his head slightly.

“What makes you think that?” Cecily asked.

“The wounds. And the fact that the chief is clearly covering for someone,” Mara said, frowning.

“Any evidence you can share with us?” Cecily asked. Mara glanced over at the center of the clearing and then back at them.

“Nothing concrete yet, but I’m close,” she replied.

“Then I suggest you let us do our job and we’ll be the ones to figure that out,” Cecily said sternly. “We’ll contact you if we have anything. But for now, this is our scene.” Mara’s frown deepened as she nodded.

“Fine,” she said, walking passed them towards her car. Embry stepped up to the three.

“Thought you were supposed to be distracting her,” Rosalie said softly.

“I’m trying, but she’s… determined,” he said, looking at her, slightly in awe.

“She’s getting too close to the truth,” Cecily said.

“Yea,” Embry said, temporarily distracted.

“Seriously, dog?” Rosalie nearly shouted, getting his attention again. Demetri chuckled.

“Go easy on him,” he said.

“What?” Cecily said, looking over at him.

“He looks at her the way I look at you… completely enraptured,” he replied, pecking her on the lips. Rosalie’s eyes widened as she studied Embry.

“Did you do your imprint thing on her? The reporter?” she whispered furiously.

“Not like we can help it,” he replied, frowning. Rosalie rolled her eyes.

“They are very interesting creatures, reporters,” Demetri said.

“Not helping,” Cecily said, frowning at him.

“Whatever. Just… go keep an eye on her and keep her out of our way,” Rosalie said, pointing after Mara. Embry nodded and took off down the path. He reached the cars just as Mara was about to climb in.

“I’ll follow you back,” he said.

“I don’t need a bodyguard,” Mara shouted.

“That’s not why I’m following you,” he said. “We need to talk.” She stared at him a moment before nodding.

“Fine,” she said, climbing into her SUV.

“God…”

~~~

When Embry walked into Mara’s room, his eyes immediately widened. She had been at work. There were various papers tacked up on the walls and other piles around the room and on the table next to an open laptop.

It was starting to resemble something like the mind of a madman. If he wasn’t that worried before, he certainly was now.

“So, what do you want to talk about?” Mara asked, spinning around to look at him. “Make it quick because I have work to do.”

“What’s going on, Mara?” he asked, taking a step towards her. She looked up at him.

“You know what’s going on. The chief is covering something up!” she shouted.

“We don’t know that for sure,” he said. “And that’s not what I’m talking about.”

“Something is going on, Embry! Wake up!” Mara shouted. “God! It’s so obvious!”

“Mara… how much sleep did you get last night?” he asked. She looked up at him, her eyes wild.

“I’m not making this up,” she said.

“I didn’t say that you were,” he replied. “I’m just worried about you.”

“The look on your face says you think I’m crazy,” she replied.

“I’m worried about you,” he said. “There was something in the woods last night.”

“Yea, some serial killer!” she shouted. He was silent.

“We don’t know that,” he said finally. It was the only thing he could think of.

“What I want to know is why the chief and your friends are covering it up,” she said bluntly.

“We’re not covering up anything. We really were tracking a bear last night,” he said, hoping she bought the lie. Mara just stared at him.

“I thought you were on my side,” she said.

“I am, Mar,” he replied.

“No, you clearly think I’m crazy,” she said. Embry sighed.

“I don’t think you’re crazy,” he said softly, reaching out to her. Mara stepped out of his reach. “I think you’re sleep deprived and the case is getting to you.” Mara growled as she walked across the room.

“You’re getting on my last nerve,” she said.

“I just want to help you,” he said.

“Then tell me what you know,” Mara said.

“I don’t know anything more than you do,” he said.

“Then let’s hope the SIB can get to the bottom of it at least,” she stated.

“Mara,” he started.

“No, just stop,” she said, glaring at him. “I’m done. Get out.” Embry just stared at her. “I’m serious.” He nodded.

“Fine, but… promise me that you’ll get some sleep. And don’t go out into the woods alone,” he said. She nodded but didn’t say anything. Embry then turned and walked out.

~~~

Embry made his way to Sam’s place. He had called Jacob on the way back to La Push and told them to meet him there. The entire drive, the worry kept building. It didn’t help that with every mile that came in between him and Mara, the pressure built in his chest.

When he had finally stepped into Sam’s place, it felt like there was a vice closing in around his heart.

“You look miserable,” Jacob commented as he walked in.

“Thanks,” Embry said, falling into a chair at the kitchen table. He ran his fingers through his hair. “She’s convinced it’s a serial killer. And that we’re covering it up with the chief.”

Jacob was silent as he studied Embry and Sam walked in.

“And the crazy thing is, I’m half in awe at how quickly she’s put it together and half terrified at how close she’s getting,” he said.

“We can’t let her figure it out,” Sam said.

“I know. I mean, there’s no way she’ll figure out that it’s vampires, but…” Embry stopped. He looked up at the two. “She’s too grounded to even think supernatural. But then we ran into Demetri, Cecily and Rosalie in the woods, and…”

“You’re supposed to be distracting her,” Sam said.

“Kind of hard when she’s like a dog with a bone,” Embry said. “She won’t drop it.”

“Well, you need to figure something out,” he pushed.

“If she’ll even talk to me,” Embry said, looking down at his hands, obviously miserable. “She just threw me out. I’m losing her. Losing her trust.”

“Then you need to get it back,” Sam said.

“I know,” Embry shouted, looking up at him.

“Lay off, Sam,” Jacob said, seeing that Embry was obviously in pain. Sam just stared at Embry. “Look… invite her up to La Push tonight. Talk to her. Apologize.”

“How am I supposed to get her up to La Push?” Embry asked.

“We’ll have a bonfire on the beach,” Jacob said.

“Now is not the time to be having a party,” Sam said, looking over at him.

“It’ll get her up here. They can talk. And she’ll be safe with us and away from the woods and the investigation,” Jacob said. Sam looked at him and then back over at Embry.

“Get her to believe that you’re on her side,” Sam said. Embry just stared at him a moment, thinking it over. He didn’t like the idea of manipulating Mara. He was already feeling horrible about keeping things from her.

“It’s the best way to keep her safe,” Jacob said softly. “We’re close to getting this guy. And once it’s over, you can go to Seattle with her and start over. It’s just a little bit longer.” Embry nodded slowly.

“Fine,” he said with a sigh. He pulled out his phone. “I’ll do what I can...”


	11. Making Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just as it's looking as though things are getting back on track for Mara and Embry, someone unexpected crashes the party and Mara comes face to face with a killer. Though she doesn't know it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own any of the characters or previous story from Twilight, but I do own the original characters and this story.
> 
> Setting: Post-books/movies  
> Pairing: Embry/OC  
> Genre: Drama/Romance/Mystery/Action  
> Rating: M (Language, Sexual Situations, Mention of violence)

Mara walked into the diner and slid into the booth across from a nervous Mike. He kept glancing around the restaurant, worried someone would see and tell the chief. He had asked Mara to meet him at a place the next town over just to be safe.

“You still look like hell. Didn’t you take a nap or something?” he asked, noticing she still had her sunglasses on. Mara just stared at him and then silently put them up on her forehead. After Embry had left, she went back to going through her notes again, but ended up breaking down into tears.

She told herself that it was because of exhaustion. Or maybe it was because her period was about to start. And that it had nothing to do with the fact that she had gotten into a fight with Embry.

After one look in the mirror, she knew she looked horrible – the dark circles that were starting to form under her eyes didn’t mesh well with the puffiness that set in after she had cried for about an hour.

“Christ, Mara,” he said, staring at her.

“Don’t worry about it,” she said. “What do you have for me?” She flagged down a waitress and ordered a coffee. Mike looked around and then pulled out a folder from his bag and slid it across the table. Mara opened it slightly, her eyes widening.

“Are these the crime scene photos?” she asked softly. Mike reached over and slammed the folder shut.

“Not here,” he said. “And I will lose my job if the chief finds out I gave these to you.” Mara looked up at him and nodded, putting them into her bag.

“So why now?” she asked. Mike sighed.

“I told you. I’ve had my suspicions since the first death. Something just doesn’t add up,” he said. “But from the beginning, the chief keeps insisting that it’s an animal.”

“Why have you waited until now to do something?” she asked.

“It’s just me that thinks this. And I told you. I tried to meet with you to share what I thought earlier. Just you seemed a bit busy with the guys in La Push,” he said. The waitress returned with a coffee and Mara took it, waiting until she walked off to answer.

“Momentary distraction,” she said, before taking a sip. Mike just stared at her. Mara squirmed under his gaze. “And I thought they would give me something.”

“Did they?” he asked.

“Just enough to make me think they’re in on it,” she said. “Well… not all of them, but some of them.” Mike took a deep breath and let it out. “But it doesn’t matter much. The SIB is in town looking into it. Whatever little information I was getting is sure to be cut off now. I just hope they get to the bottom of it.”

Mike sat up, confused.

“SIB? I don’t remember the chief saying anything about them,” he said. Mara studied him.

“Yea… three of them. Two women and a guy. Though one of them… I swore I’ve seen her before. She had red hair,” she said.

“I’ll check into it,” he said. “See what I can find.” Mara nodded as she heard her phone buzz from her bag. She reached in and pulled it out. It was a text from Embry.

_I’m sorry. Can we talk?_

She sighed as she put her phone down.

“Your editor?” Mike asked.

“Friend,” she said. “Keep me in the loop.” She then tossed some money on the table and stood, taking her bag with her. Once she was outside, she stopped on the sidewalk and pulled her phone out, looking at it. She started walking towards her car. She got in and sat in the driver’s seat.

She didn’t want to fight with Embry. She knew that ultimately, it wasn’t his fault. She was angry with the chief. And tired. She was on the verge of breaking her father’s rule about letting her emotions get the better of her. Sighing, she pulled her phone out and dialed.

“Mara,” he said, the relief apparent.

“Look, I’m sorry about earlier,” she started.

“No, I’m sorry,” he said.

“You were trying to help,” Mara said. “And maybe you’re right… I’m getting too worked up. I didn’t really sleep last night. I haven’t been sleeping much since I got here.”

“I have a suggestion,” Embry said.

“What?” she asked.

“It seems you need to get your mind off things,” he said.

“What did you have in mind?”

“Come out to La Push. Some of us are having a bonfire on the beach,” he said. Mara frowned.

“Isn’t that dangerous?” she said.

“We’ll be safe on the beach. There will be enough of us,” he said. Mara thought for a moment. The thought of seeing him again. Maybe snuggling up on the beach. She shook her head slightly. Maybe it could help clear her mind so she could focus.

“Alright. What time should I be there?” she asked.

“Meet at the beach around 7 pm,” he said.

“Okay,” she said.

“Oh, and do me a favor,” he said.

“What?”

“Take a nap,” he said, laughing softly. Mara smiled.

“That is the first thing I’m going to do,” she said.

~~~

Mara reached over and grabbed the six-pack from the front seat before getting out of her car. She could already see the fire. After a nap and shower, she felt better. A lot of the anger from that morning had disappeared, though she was still concerned about the case. But she would put it aside for tonight.

“You made it,” Jacob said. Mara turned to see him walking up to her, a smile on his face and another six-pack in his hand.

“Yea… Embry convinced me,” she said, offering him a smile. She tucked her hair behind her ear and followed him down a path to the beach. “Still don’t understand why you guys are having a party on the beach with a rabid bear or cougar out there.” Jacob chuckled.

“Trust me, if anything’s out there, we’ll take care of it,” he said, glancing at her. “And good choice.” He motioned towards the six-pack in her hand.

“Mom always told me to never go to a party empty handed,” she said.

As they neared the fire, Mara saw there were a few logs put around it with a decent size group either standing or sitting. Emily and Sam were manning a grill, while she recognized Quil, Jared and Seth. She didn’t know the others. And she didn’t see Embry.

“So, you’re the reporter,” a woman said, walking up to her. She had a guarded look on her face as she sized Mara up.

“Yea, Mara,” Mara replied, holding her hand out. The woman stared at it, then shook it.

“Leah Clearwater,” she said. “I’m Seth’s older sister.”

“Right… Sue’s daughter,” Mara said. “I had dinner with her and Chief Swan yesterday.”

Mara looked around, seeing Seth over on the other side of the fire with a few others, laughing. She looked back over at the grill as Emily waved. She smiled and lifted her hand to her.

“He’s over there,” Leah said. Mara looked at her, confused. “Embry. You’re obviously looking for him.” Mara followed where Leah was pointing and saw Embry walking up towards them. He had an apologetic smile on his face.

Mara felt her breath catch in her throat. Even though she had been mad at him earlier that day, she completely forgot why as soon as she saw him. Leah stepped away as Embry walked up to her.

“I’m glad you came,” he said softly. Mara nodded and looked down at the sand, hoping the dark hid her blush. And the fact that all she wanted to do in that moment was to throw her arms around him.

“I brought refreshments,” she said, glancing up at him as she held out the beer. Embry took it.

“Cooler’s over here,” he said.

~~~

Mara felt herself relax after she settled on a log, working her way through a hamburger and a beer. Part of her was shocked by the sheer amount of food they had brought, but seeing how everyone ate, she was starting to worry if there would be enough.

She was sandwiched in between Quil and Embry and sat silent, listening as they all launched into various stories. Embry had introduced her around the group and through observation and listening she had deduced who the couples were and was starting to pick up on some of the group gossip.

After a while Embry got up to toss Mara’s plate, while Jacob took his spot.

“So, what do you think?” he asked, glancing down at her.

“You guys really are close knit,” she said, looking up at him. “By the way, who is this Nessie everyone keeps mentioning? Your girlfriend?” Jacob stared at her a moment before smiling.

“You don’t miss a thing, do you?” he asked. Mara shrugged.

“Comes with the territory,” she said, looking over to see Embry chatting with Paul by the coolers. He looked to the ground and smiled shyly as Paul laughed loudly.

“You should give him a chance,” Jacob said. Mara looked at him, her eyebrows raised. “He’s a good guy. And he really cares about you.” Mara frowned slightly.

“We just met,” she said.

“Still… you guys are good together,” he said. Mara tilted her head to the side, studying Embry. “Just think about it.” Jacob got up as Embry made his way back to her side.

“What’s that look for?” he asked.

“Nothing,” she said, smiling at him.

“Have a good chat with Jacob?” he asked. Mara laughed softly.

“Maybe,” she said, glancing at him. Embry reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her to her feet. “What are you doing?”

“Let’s take a walk,” he said. Mara laughed again, letting him lead her away as she held tightly onto his hand. There were a couple whistles from the group, causing Embry to frown over his shoulder. Once they were farther away, he looked down at her. “I really am sorry about earlier…”

“You don’t have to apologize. I needed sleep. I overreacted a bit,” Mara said.

“I don’t think you’re crazy,” he said, stopping to look down at her. Mara gazed up at him. “And I meant what I said. I’m here to help you.”

“I appreciate it,” she said. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him what she learned from Mike. She still hadn’t looked over the photos yet. But she stopped herself. Embry frowned slightly.

“What is it?” he asked. Mara shook her head.

“Nothing,” she said, smiling as she started walking again. They continued on in silence a bit.

“Can I ask you something?” Embry finally said.

“What?”

“Why do you use your mother’s last name?” he asked. Mara stopped and looked up at him.

“How do you know that?” she asked.

“I, ah, well… please don’t be mad, but I looked you up after our date,” he said. “I was curious about your dad,” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me he was a Pulitzer winner?”

Mara was silent as she looked to the ground. For some reason, she didn’t feel betrayed. She was planning on telling him eventually. But not this soon. She looked up at him finally.

“If you looked that up, then you know about how he died,” she said. Embry nodded.

“Suicide,” he said. Mara frowned.

“You must have only read the early articles,” she said. She took a deep breath.

“What do you mean?” Embry asked.

“My dad didn’t kill himself,” she said. “I knew it the second I walked into the study. But… no one would listen to me. I was only 15 and they thought I was… acting out of trauma. Even my own mom.” Embry was silent, waiting on her to continue. “But apparently I wasn’t the only one. Some of his colleagues at the paper – one of them being my current boss. They kept looking into it and eventually got the police to reopen the investigation. It turns out that he was murdered because of a story he was working on and they made it look like a suicide.”

Embry’s eyes widened.

“Oh my god, Mar,” he said, his heart dropping into his chest.

“As for why I go by Winslow instead of Carpenter… As you can imagine, my father got a lot of attention in the media world. And his death did as well. My mom always went by her maiden name so I switched to that after he died so I could get a break from it. Also, I knew I wanted to go into journalism, and I wanted to know that I made it because of my own hard work and talent – not because I was the daughter of a Pulitzer winner,” she said. “Richard, my editor, is the only one on staff that knows.” Embry nodded.

“I’m, wow, I’m so sorry, Mara,” he said, pulling her close to him and wrapping his arms around her. Mara sighed as her eyes drifted closed for a moment. “I see why you’re so invested in finding the truth.” Her eyes flew open. She could feel it start to bubble up. She wanted to tell him her secret, but she wasn’t completely sure how he would react.

“There’s something else,” she said. She stepped back so she could look up at him, but not out of his arms. “I… this is going to sound strange… but… just promise me you’ll keep an open mind.” Embry studied her a moment.

“Does it have to do with what you were doing at the clearing today?” he asked. Mara’s eyes widened. “I kind of picked up on that.” Mara swallowed.

“The reason why I knew that my father was murdered was because… I can sense when a murder is committed,” she said. Embry stared down at her, his face unreadable. “It’s like… there’s a heaviness in the air. It settles on the place were a life is taken intentionally. And a… scent. It’s a bit different than dead body smell. It was in the study the night I found my father, but I didn’t think it was anything… that it was just in my head. But when I shadowed crime reporters after that and they took me to crime scenes… I kept feeling it again. So much so that I knew it was real. I also was there when my grandmother died from cancer and… the feeling wasn’t there. So, I know that it only happens when someone is killed intentionally.”

Embry’s eyes widened as it hit him. This was how she knew the deaths weren’t animal attacks.

“You felt it at the accident sites,” he said. Mara nodded, surprised that he seemed so willing to believe her.

“Yea. That’s how I know that Chief Swan is at best, incompetent in his job, or at worst, covering up murder,” she said. “But I don’t have any proof or evidence and I can’t publish until I have evidence.” Embry was silent. “Say something. I’m worried you really do think I’m crazy now.” Embry smiled down at her.

“I don’t think you’re crazy. I think… I think you’re gifted. And you’re amazing,” he said. Mara just blinked.

“Really?” she asked, confused. Embry chuckled. “Honestly I’m surprised you’re not calling the looney bin or something.”

“Mara… trust me. I am a firm believer that there are some things in the world that we’ll never completely understand or be able to explain,” he said. “Like I said, you’re not crazy. Believe it or not, I’ve heard crazier things.”

“Like what?” she asked. He chuckled.

“Another time,” he said. Mara smiled as relief filled her face.

“Well… I am… very happy. I’ve never really told anyone any of this. I mean my best friend knows about my dad, but I’ve never told anyone about the whole… murder spidey sense,” she said. “I’m not even sure why I told you.”

“I think… when we meet people that we’re truly meant to connect with, time isn’t an issue,” he said. “It happens because it’s meant to happen.” Mara chuckled.

“Why am I not surprised that you’re a romantic,” she said.

“Oh, I can get even more romantic than this,” he said, grinning.

“Are we talking like dancing in the moonlight? Reciting poetry? Sweeping me off my feet?” she asked, a smile playing across her face. Embry thought for a moment.

“More along the lines of…” He bent down towards her, looking deeply into her eyes. He gently brushed his lips against hers first, and then waited. Mara smiled before pulling him down to her, full-on kissing him. She didn’t care if anyone saw them. Or that she had literally just met this guy. It felt right.

They only broke the kiss because the whistles were echoing from the bonfire. Mara laughed as she looked over at the bonfire and then hid her face in Embry’s chest as he pulled her closer.

“God, this is embarrassing,” she said.

“You’ll get used to it,” he said. “I have.”

“Guessing we should get back to the party,” she said, glancing up at him.

“Probably,” he said as they started walking back, though he kept his arm around her. Mara stopped suddenly and looked up at him.

“Oh, and well, sure it doesn’t need to be said, but… can you keep this between us?” she asked. “I, ah, I don’t really tell anyone about my dad. And the whole sensing thing… I don’t think that everyone would understand like you.” Embry nodded and plastered a smile on his face.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, bending down to kiss her cheek before they started walking again. He fought to cover his frown, knowing that it wasn’t going to remain a secret. As soon as he phased again, the whole pack would know. And that Jacob would insist on telling Sam and the others. But he would deal with that later. For the moment, he wanted to focus on what was going on right now.

“Well, well, well,” Paul said, walking up to the two as they came back to the fire. “I totally called this.” Mara laughed.

“Right,” she said, not believing him.

“I totally did!” he shouted. Mara rolled her eyes.

“I’m getting another drink. You want one?” she asked, looking up at Embry. He nodded. She walked off heading over to Emily and the coolers.

“Looks like things are progressing,” Paul said. Embry nodded.

“That they are,” he said.

“Embry,” Sam said, walking up to him. Embry sighed. He figured this would happen, though he had hoped he would wait until after the party had ended. Sam motioned for him to follow as they stepped away from everyone and over towards the treeline.

~~~

“So…” Emily said as Mara stepped up.

“I’m really beginning to feel like you all are psychic or something,” Mara said, bending down to the cooler. She pulled out two beers and looked up at Emily.

“I just knew that you two were good for each other the first time I saw you together,” she said. Mara straightened up as she looked over, seeing Embry walk off with Sam. She smiled as she sighed happily.

“There’s just… something about him,” she said. “I’ve never felt this way about… anyone.”

“I know that feeling,” Emily said. Mara looked over at her.

“Was it like that with you and Sam?” she asked. Emily nodded.

“I just knew,” she said. “And I think it’ll be the same for you and Embry.” Mara’s eyebrows flew up.

“I… well… I don’t know about that,” she sputtered. Emily just laughed.

“Trust your instincts, Mara,” she said, placing a hand on her arm. Mara nodded and smiled.

“Thanks,” she said. She then started off towards Embry and Sam, a smile still firmly on her face.

“What’s this? Is Mara in love?” Paul shouted at her. Mara stopped and looked over at him, eyes wide as the others laughed. He had his arm wrapped around his girlfriend Rachel.

“What’s this? Paul still in elementary school?” she shot back with a grin. Everyone else started howling in laughter as she walked towards Embry and Sam again, chuckling to herself.

“Is it working?” she heard Sam asked. Embry was silent. “You’re supposed to be distracting her.” Mara stopped suddenly, her smile fading as she took in the two. Sam’s face was stern but Embry’s back was to her.

“Distract me?” she said, getting both of their attention. Sam’s eyes widened as Embry spun around to look at her. “From what?”

Neither said anything.

“What are you distracting me from?” she said, this time louder.

“Mara, it’s not what you think,” Embry said, walking towards her. Mara took a step back, dropping the cans of beer in the process. She laughed harshly.

“I…” she started. She felt her chest tightened as she looked at the ground. She then whipped her head up to stare at him, her eyes going cold. “You do know what’s going on. And you’re helping the chief cover this up.”

“Mara, I can explain-”

“No,” she said. “I trusted you. I… I TRUSTED YOU!” She then started running across the beach towards where the cars were parked.

“MARA!”

“JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!”

Her heart was pounding as the tears started pouring down her cheeks. She knew she shouldn’t have let herself just go with it. Katie was wrong. Emily was wrong. Everyone was wrong.

“How could I be so stupid,” she muttered to herself as she scrambled up a hill, tripping as she made her way through the trees to her car.

“MARA!”

She didn’t bother looking behind her as her car came in sight and she reached into her pocket for her keys. Fumbling, they fell to the ground with a thud. She quickly dropped down, searching for them in the dark.

“What is it that pains the fair lady?” a smooth voice said. Mara froze, the voice sending fingers of fear up and down her spine. She looked up, seeing a man standing several feet away, smiling at her. He had dark hair and his skin nearly glowed in the moonlight. “You are far too beautiful to be crying, my dear.” He then closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. He opened his eyes again and smiled at her. “Far too… delicious.”

It wasn’t necessarily what he was saying that scared her, but the way he was looking at her. She froze in terror as chills broke out over her body. He grinned as he started towards her.

_Run, Mara! RUN!_ she thought, though she couldn’t will her limbs to move.

From somewhere behind her car, there was a loud snarling. Mara looked to her right, just in time to see two of the largest wolves in her life bound out towards the man. She fell back against the car, her feet not making purchase against the ground. A scream froze in her throat as she watched in horror as a red brown wolf leapt at the man, taking him in his jaws. The man started to fight back as the two tumbled back into the trees.

A whining to her right got her attention as she whipped her head over to see the second wolf – gray with black spots – peering at her. It took a tentative step in her direction, causing Mara to scream and try to move away. A howl got the wolf’s attention. It looked at Mara one last time before running off. As soon as it was gone, Mara scrambled to get her keys, her hands shaking as she unlocked the car and threw herself inside. She didn’t even bother to put on her seatbelt as she started it and peeled out of the parking area, speeding towards the highway and then back to Forks.

For a few moments, she felt like she was hyperventilating as her hands gripped the steering wheel and her entire body shook. She knew that she had to get back to her motel. Her brain was firing so quickly, she couldn’t even think of what to do after that.

But somewhere in her head, something stuck out. The second wolf… she couldn’t help but feel like there was something familiar in its eyes.


	12. To Know the Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Still reeling from her discovery the night before, Embry decides it's time for Mara to know the truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own any of the characters or previous story from Twilight, but I do own the original characters and this story.
> 
> Setting: Post-books/movies  
> Pairing: Embry/OC  
> Genre: Drama/Romance/Mystery/Action  
> Rating: M (Language, Sexual Situations, Mention of violence)

“Shit,” Embry said once everyone had gathered around the cars and he began pacing. “How could you let him get away?!” He glared at Jacob. “I’ve got to get to Mara.” He turned and started to move away from the group.

“Hold on, we need to come up with a plan!” Jacob shouted, reaching out to grab Embry’s arm, while holding his other close to his body. He grimaced in pain.

The vampire had managed to overpower him and run off. Most of the pack including Embry had given chase, but the vampire slipped away yet again.

“She’s not safe! He could go after her!” Embry yelled. “I should have told her… I need to tell her everything…”

“Just hold on, Embry. If you go banging on her door right now and tell her everything, her head is going to explode. You saw how freaked out she was!” Jacob said.

“But what if she runs? Or tells her editor?” Embry said. “What if the vampire is there right now?”

“He went in the opposite direction of Forks. He knows we’re out here. He won’t go after her tonight,” Sam said rationally. “Think about it, Embry.” He stared at Sam a moment before nodding.

He knew that he was right. The vampire likely wouldn’t come back tonight. And if he told Mara about the wolves tonight, it could break her. She was already in a fragile state. But he knew that he needed to tell her everything. Before she left Forks. Everything that had happened that night made it all the more apparent. That is if he could convince her to speak to him again.

The look on her face when she overheard him and Sam was burned in his mind. He could see the betrayal and hurt there. His chest tightened as he worried that he had just lost her forever.

“You haven’t lost her yet,” Jacob said. “She’s strong. Once she’s calmed down and you tell her about us, she’ll get it.” Embry looked over at him.

“I’m going to watch out for her. Make sure she’s safe,” he said. Jacob nodded.

“I’ll see if Rosalie or Emmett can go with you. You’ll need to sleep at some point and they don’t need to,” he said. “They’ll be able to help.”

“Fine,” Embry said. He then started jogging off, easily phasing before running off through the forest.

The only thing on his mind was keeping Mara safe.

~~~

Mara leaned against the sink in the bathroom, staring into the mirror a few moments before splashing water on her face.

She had spent the night cowered in the corner of her room, gripping her can of pepper spray and her cellphone in her hands. She wasn’t sure if pepper spray would work against giant wolves, but it was the only weapon she had. In her panic, she couldn’t settle on what to do, only focused on making it through the night. She had dozed off at one point but was shocked back into wakefulness when a car backfired in the parking lot.

Now with the sun starting to peek through the blinds, she felt a bit calmer. She turned and started the shower, then climbed in after pulling her clothes off, going over her options. She needed to tell Richard. But she couldn’t tell her mother. She would worry.

She decided the best course of action was to go to the police station and tell Chief Swan first. He would know what to do. And there was another body out there that they needed to find.

She looked up at the ceiling, frowning. Her sense had never been wrong before. But now… was it really these wolves killing the hikers? Had she gotten it wrong all this time? She shook her head and turned off the water. She got out of the shower and quickly got ready, wanting to get to the station as quickly as possible.

~~~

“She’s leaving,” Emmett said. Embry lifted his head, jumping to his feet as he peered through the trees and watched as Mara poked her head out of the door and then quickly dart to her car. “So that’s the girl you imprinted on? Nice.”

A low growl filled Embry’s throat as he turned his head towards him.

“Relax. I have a mate,” Emmett replied with a chuckle as Rosalie rolled her eyes.

“We can’t go into Forks,” she said. “You’re going to have to follow her.” Embry turned his head back, watching as Mara pulled out of the motel in her car, a whine coming from his snout.

“You might want to phase,” Emmett suggested. “Unless you want the whole town to see you as a giant wolf.” Embry walked back into the trees, returning a few minutes later fully dressed.

“Thanks,” he said, looking at the two.

‘Don’t worry about it,” Emmett said with a smile.

“Come on, we should check in with Cess and Demetri,” Rosalie said. The two then disappeared into the forest. Embry looked back towards the motel, figured there was one place in town Mara would go.

~~~

“Holy shit, Mara,” Mike said as she walked into the station. Mara froze for a moment but then continued on towards Chief Swan’s office. “What happened?”

“I need to talk to the chief,” she said, ignoring him.

“Mara!”

She ignored him as she walked into his office and shut the door behind her. Charlie looked up, his eyes widening as he took in her state. All the color had drained from her face and her eyes were wide and bloodshot. He stood.

“Mara, are you okay?” he asked. Mara shook her head as she walked over and sat down. She started shaking again.

“I don’t know… god,” she said as her eyes started tearing up again. She looked up at him. “There’s another body.”

“What? Where? How do you know?” he asked.

“I was out at the beach at La Push last night with Embry and… there was a party,” she said. “When I left, there was a man… he was, I don’t know what he was going to do or where he came from, but he started towards me and then these, these giant wolves came from nowhere. One of them pounced on him and dragged him off and then the other followed them into the woods.”

Charlie studied her a few moments, unsure of what to say.

“Chief… I think… are these wolves… is that what’s killing the hikers?” she asked, her voice dropping to a whisper. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

“I’ll send some deputies out to La Push to start the search. In the meantime, go back to your motel and try to… get some rest. You look like you haven’t slept all night. In fact, I’m going to get someone to drive you back,” he said, starting towards the door.

“I… Okay,” she said as she stood. She walked to the door and followed him out. “I’m, I’ll wait outside.”

She made her way to the door and stopped, seeing a concerned Embry standing there still in his clothes from the night before. Her breath caught in her throat as a million different emotions flew through her. First there was betrayal and hurt. Then anger. But just as quickly, it all faded as she realized she wanted nothing more than to feel his arms around her. Having a near death experience seemed to help put things into perspective. She was relieved to see that he was unhurt. And she knew that she wanted – needed – him in that moment.

She pushed through the doors and ran to him, falling into his arms as the tears poured down her cheeks.

“God, I was so worried about you,” he murmured into her hair.

“I’m so sorry,” she said.

“What are you sorry about?”

“I don’t know, but I just… when I saw the wolves… I-”

“Shh, shh. Mara it’s okay. We should get you back to your room,” he said gently. “Can you give me your keys? Jacob dropped me off so I can drive.” Mara sniffed as she stepped back and nodded, reaching into her purse for her keys. “I got her, Chief.” She glanced over her shoulder, seeing Chief Swan stepping out of the station. “And we’ve already got guys out searching.” Charlie nodded at him and walked back into the station.

Embry guided Mara over to her car and helped her into the front passenger seat, then walked around and climbed into the driver’s side. He started back towards the motel, sending worried glances at Mara.

“You want to talk about it?” he asked softly.

“I… god… they were so big,” she said. “I’ve never seen wolves that big before.” Embry clenched his jaw. “There must be something wrong with me… I’ve never been wrong before.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“My… sense. It’s always been right. But this time… I got it wrong,” she said. “It’s not a serial killer… it’s those wolves.”

Embry remained silent, unsure of what to say to her.

“I need to… I need to tell Richard,” she said, starting to dig through her purse.

“No, don’t,” Embry said, reaching over to put his hand over hers. Mara stared at him. “You’re too worked up right now and you’re not making sense. Get some sleep and then you can call him.” Mara looked out the windshield, nodding.

“Yea. That’s it… I need some sleep…”

They continued on in silence as Embry fought with himself. He could see that Jacob was right. He knew that she could handle hearing the truth, but right now was not the time.

As soon as they got back to the motel, he helped her out of the car and to the room. The bed was still made. Embry walked over and pulled down the covers then sat Mara on the edge, pulling off her shoes.

“Just sleep,” he said. “You’re safe. I won’t let anything hurt you.” Mara laid down on the bed but reached out and grabbed Embry’s hand.

“Stay with me,” she said softly. Embry nodded and climbed into the bed next to her, wrapping his arms around her.

“Just sleep.”

~~~

Mara groaned slightly as she pried her eyes open. She wasn’t sure how long she had been asleep, but the sun was still up. As soon as Embry had wrapped his arms around her, she had fallen fast asleep, finally feeling safe.

Her dreams were filled with images of the gray and black wolf. She couldn’t help but feel there was something familiar about it. And she was surprised they weren’t nightmares and she hadn’t woken up in a fit of screaming.

For a moment, she contemplated going back to sleep. She could hear Embry snoring softly behind her, his arms still around her. It was cozy and the warmth from his body started to make her feel drowsy as her eyes began to flutter closed again. But then she remembered everything from last night and shot up in bed.

“Mara?”

She looked over at Embry as he peered up at her. He looked about how she felt.

“Did you sleep at all last night?” she asked softly. Embry shook his head no.

“I was too worried about you,” he said. “And… our fight…”

“I… it’s okay. I know I was wrong,” she said. Embry sat up, sighing. “I must have lost it…my sense…”

“You didn’t lose it,” he said. Mara frowned at him.

“What do you mean?” she asked. “It’s obvious that those wolves are the ones killing the hikers.” Embry was silent, looking down at his hands.

“It’s not the wolves,” he said. Mara frowned at him.

“How do you know that?” she asked. Embry sighed and flipped the covers off him.

“Mara… there’s something you should know… I’ve been keeping my own secret,” he said, not meeting her eyes.

“What secret?” she asked, feeling her heart sink.

“It’s… I didn’t plan to keep it from you forever. I just… I wanted to wait until the right time to tell you. And now… now I suppose I have no choice but to tell you,” he said, finally looking over at her. He then walked over and took her hand, pulling her out of the bed and towards the door, barely giving her time to slip on some shoes.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked as Embry started towards the woods surrounding the motel.

“I have to show you something,” he said.

“In the woods?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said. “I need… space.”

Mara went quiet as they kept walking, going deeper into the forest. Finally, he stopped in a clearing, turning to look at her. Mara couldn’t read his face and the longer he stood there silently, the more worried she got.

“Embry… what’s going on?” she asked.

“Mara… I’m going to need you to stay calm,” he said. “And open-minded.” She just stared at him. “Do you trust me?”

She couldn’t answer for a few moments, thinking it over.

Last night she went from thinking there was no one she trusted more to finding out she couldn’t. Then the attack happened, and she was so grateful to be alive – and to see that he was alive – that she didn’t know what to think.

She looked up into his eyes. It was there that she found her answer.

“I do,” she said softly. Embry nodded, starting to back away from her.

“The reason why it was so easy for me to believe you about your sense is because I know that there are things in this world that people – regular people – don’t know about. That they can’t know about,” he said. “That they can’t even fathom could exist.” Mara blinked.

“What are you talking about?” she asked.

“You have to believe me… the only reason I kept this from you was to keep you safe,” he said. “The only thing I want is for you to be safe.”

“Embry, I don’t understand what you’re talking about,” she said, feeling her heart rate speed up. She was starting to get scared. Embry stopped moving, now several feet away. He pulled off his shirt. “What are you doing?” she asked, starting to walk towards him.

“Don’t, Mara. I need you to stay back,” Embry shouted. “It’s for your own safety.”

Mara stopped, watching as he undid his shorts and pulled them down.

“I need you to remember that it’s still me. And I would never – ever – harm you,” he said. “Okay?” Mara was silent. “I need to hear you say it.”

“Okay,” she said softly.

Embry then took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, he locked eyes with Mara.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said again. He took another deep breath and then sudden, his body convulsed. Mara’s hand flew to her mouth as she started towards him.

But then Embry flew forward and was on all fours. Mara froze, her eyes widening.

Embry was no longer standing in the clearing. Instead, it was the gray and black wolf from the night before. A scream somehow got stuck in Mara’s throat as the wolf growled slightly then whimpered. It lowered its head to the ground, its eyes never leaving Mara’s as she remained frozen.

He started inching towards her.

Mara did the first thing that came into her mind.

She screamed and ran.


	13. Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Embry finally comes clean about everything - almost - and for the time being, Mara seems to be accepting it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own any of the characters or previous story from Twilight, but I do own the original characters and this story.
> 
> Setting: Post-books/movies  
> Pairing: Embry/OC  
> Genre: Drama/Romance/Mystery/Action  
> Rating: M (Language, Sexual Situations, Mention of violence)

Mara burst into her hotel room, slamming the door behind her as her heart pounded. She immediately began pacing, running her fingers through her hair as her entire body shook. In a matter of minutes, her life had been turned upside down. No. Her life had been going topsy turvy ever since she stepped foot in Forks.

She was supposed to be covering a story. A weird one, but one that would hopefully be her first step to cover others that were important.

And then she met Embry.

From that first moment, she knew something was different. She had run the gamut of relationship experiences, heard her share of lines and such. Mara knew when she was being played and often erred on the side of caution. But this had been different. Within a couple days, she found that all she could think about was being with him.

She had told him about her father’s murder. And then about her secret. And then overhearing him and Sam. The man. The wolves.

And then today.

She stopped pacing and looked at the bottle of whiskey she had picked up on a whim the other day sitting on the table. She stomped over and poured a glass, bringing it to her lips as her hands shook. Some of it missed her mouth as she took a gulp. She sputtered and moved to sit on the bed, gripping the glass tightly as she tried to calm herself down by going over the facts.

Embry wasn’t human. Or at least completely human. He turned into a wolf. If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she wouldn’t have believed it. Even then, she still wasn’t sure she could trust herself.

He had turned into a fucking wolf in front of her eyes.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” she muttered to herself as she closed her eyes. “What the hell…”

This was not what she had signed up for when she agreed to come to Forks.

A buzzing from the nightstand was the only thing that brought her back to reality. She looked over, then stood and walked over to it, seeing that Katie was calling. Sighing heavily, she answered. She knew there was no way she could tell her best friend what had just happened, but she needed to talk to someone. Anyone.

“Hey, Kates,” she said lightly, hoping her best friend wouldn’t catch on.

“Oh my god, what’s wrong?” Katie asked immediately.

“Nothing. I’m fine,” Mara said, grimacing.

“Is it the story? Or something with Embry?” Katie asked. Mara sighed.

“It’s so much more complicated than that,” she admitted.

“Spill. Now,” Katie demanded. Mara shook her head.

“It’s just… it’s crazy,” she said. Before she could say another word, there was a knock at the door. Mara’s eyes widened as she stared at it a moment.

“Mar? What’s going on?”

“Hold on,” Mara said, standing. She walked to the door and looked through the peephole, seeing a worried Embry standing outside. “Kates, I’m going to have to call you back.”

“No! Not until you tell me what’s going on!” Katie shouted. “Something is wrong!”

“Look, I’ll tell you everything, but someone is here and I gotta take care of this,” Mara said, setting her glass down on the table. “I love you and we’ll talk later.”

“Mara, don’t you dare-”

Mara hung up and put the phone on the table just as Embry knocked again. She took a deep breath and then gripped the door handle, pulling it open. Embry looked slightly relieved as soon as he saw her.

“I know that… it’s weird, but… we need to talk,” he said. Mara nodded and stepped back, opening the door wider. He walked in and she shut the door behind him, turning to lean against it as Embry sat on the bed.

“So… you turn into a wolf,” she said, fixing him in a stern glare.

“I’m sorry that I couldn’t tell you sooner… I wanted to from that first day in the forest, but… I was worried. It’s a lot to take in,” he said. Mara snorted.

“You can say that again,” she said. Embry grimaced. “Sorry, just… yesterday I thought the world was one thing. And now I know that there’s a whole lot more to it...”

“I know. Trust me. I went through the same thing the first time I phased,” he said. Mara stared at him. “Turned into a wolf.”

“So, you’re a werewolf. And they do exist,” she said.

“We’re actually called shapeshifters… we just happen to turn into wolves,” he said. Mara nodded.

“Okay… shapeshifters…”

“There are a lot of things in this world that exist that you don’t know about,” he said. Mara’s eyes widened. “But that’s not something to get into now…”

“So… all of those guys – Jacob, Paul, Sam, Quil – they’re all shapeshifters too?” she asked. Embry nodded.

“Yea. There are two packs. Sam is the alpha of one and Jacob is the alpha of the other. I’m part of Jacob’s pack as are Quil, Seth and Leah,” he said. Mara was silent a few moments.

“Guess I got a hint of that. I could tell that everyone seemed to refer to them before doing or saying anything,” she replied. “Does Chief Swan know about this?”

“He does, well… he knows enough,” Embry said. Mara nodded slowly.

“That’s what he’s been trying to hide from me, isn’t it? What you guys are,” she said.

“Yes,” Embry said.

“And you guys aren’t doing the attacks,” she said.

“No. We’re trying to track down whatever is,” Embry said. “We protect La Push and Forks.”

“So, all those times you were out hunting…”

“We were tracking,” he said. “As wolves.”

“And last night?” she asked.

“That man was going to hurt you,” he said, frowning. “I could sense that you were in danger.” Mara stared at him a moment before pushing off from the door.

“But how did you know? And you didn’t have to kill him,” she said, her voice rising. “You’re not judge, jury and executioner! That man didn’t even stand a chance against two massive wolves!” Embry carefully thought over what to say next. He couldn’t tell her that the man was a vampire. At least he didn’t want to. He feared there was only so much truth she could handle at once and there were more important things that he needed to tell her before that.

“We didn’t kill him,” he said, thankful that it was at least the truth. “He got away. But he won’t be back. At least we hope not. And he’s not what he seems...”

“You didn’t answer my first question… how did you know I was in danger?” she asked. She tucked away the bit about the man not being what she thought for later.

“Mara, I would do anything to protect you,” he said emphatically.

“Why? You just met me,” she asked. “And stop deflecting.”

“Mara… there’s… something else that I need to tell you,” he said slowly. She frowned.

_You need to be brave…_

Embry stared at her a few moments, watching as several emotions flew across her face. She was conflicted.

“You need to know about this,” he continued. She closed her eyes a moment, taking a few breaths. She then opened them and nodded, signaling that she was ready. Or as ready as she could be. Embry took a deep breath. It was now or never.

“So… there is this… wolf thing,” he said. He looked down at the floor, not sure he could look at her. “It’s called imprinting.” He ventured a glance at her. Mara was still silent, letting him speak. “We, ah, when we look at someone for the first time, we…” He stopped, unsure of how to tell her without sounding crazy.

“It’s like… finding your match,” he said finally. “You look at them and suddenly, your whole world revolves around them. You are willing to do anything – be anything that they need. We can’t control it. It just happens…”

“Why are you telling me this?” Mara asked softly. Though part of her already knew the answer.

“Because that day we met in the clearing for the first time… I imprinted on you,” he said, meeting her eyes.

“You imprinted. On me?” she asked, her face blank. Though really, she was reeling from the revelation.

“Yes,” he said. Mara looked at the ground, thinking it over.

“So… you have some sort of… wolf claim on me?” she asked. “And that’s why I’ve been feeling the way I have the last few days…” Embry sighed and ran his fingers through his hair as she fixed him in a scowl.

“It’s not like that,” he said. “We’re… like soulmates… for lack of a better word, but not really…”

“So, even without this imprint thing… we might have still met and fallen in love?” Mara asked, a bit of hope entering her voice.

“Maybe,” he said. “What I’m trying to say is, you still have a choice in this. You can choose to reject me.”

Mara stared at him, thinking it over as the scowl left her face.

“What would that do to you?” she asked softly.

“It doesn’t matter. All that matters is what you want,” he replied immediately.

“I want to know,” she said. “If I have a choice in this, if I’m going to make an informed decision, I need to know everything. I need to know the truth.” Embry was silent a few moments.

“It wouldn’t be… pleasant for me,” he said finally. “I would be in pain. But I would take it if that’s what it meant for you to be happy.” He stood and ventured a step towards her. “All I want is for you to be safe and happy. Whatever you want. Whatever you need, and… if that’s not me… then I step away.” Mara stared at him, trying to come to terms with everything. She then stepped over to the table and grabbed the glass, taking another long drink.

She then looked over at him, her eyes unreadable.

“So, you would be in pain… if I said I didn’t want to be with you? If I went back to Seattle and never wanted to see you again?” she asked. He nodded. “But you would do that? Stay out of my life I wanted you to?”

“It’s been… difficult… the last few days when you left my side. But… I want you to have choice. I want you to decide for yourself. I don’t want you to feel like you have to do it for me,” he said. Mara bit her lower lip and looked away, raising the glass again towards her mouth.

What did she want? Ever since that afternoon in the woods, she had been confused. Unsure. But she did know that whenever she was around Embry, it felt calmer. Things made sense. The thought of going back to Seattle and leaving him behind caused a strong sense of anxiety in her. She had never met anyone like him.

She wasn’t completely sure what any of this meant, but she did know one thing. She didn’t want to cut him out of her life.

She looked over at him, setting the glass down on the table. She took a deep breath and slowly let it out as she walked over to him.

“I don’t want to lose you,” she said, meeting his eyes. “It’s… there are things I’m going to have to get used to… all of this… but… I don’t want you out of my life.”

Relief filled Embry’s face as he gazed down at her. He then reached out and gently took her cheek in his hand. The heat spread from her face throughout her body as she smiled softly.

“To be honest… it makes sense,” she said. “Knowing why I’ve been so drawn to you...”

“Yea… same here,” Embry said as he leaned down and kissed her. Mara wrapped her arms around his neck, rising up on her toes to make it easier for him. The kiss quickly deepened as Mara pulled him closer to her, their bodies flush against each other. Then suddenly Mara stopped, pushing him back.

“I have a condition,” she said.

“What?” Embry asked, slightly worried.

“If we’re going to do this… I don’t want you to give up anything for me,” she said. “I want you to keep your plans. Get your degree. Go to med school. Just because you’ve… imprinted on me… I don’t want you to lose yourself.” Embry smiled.

“Mara… I think this is why I imprinted on you,” he said softly. “I can be myself – truly myself – with you.” Mara smiled.

“Good,” she said. She then pulled him towards her and started kissing him again.

Things became heated pretty quickly, with Embry pulling Mara’s cardigan off. She stepped back, quickly pulling it off her top over her head as Embry did the same. Mara raised an eyebrow, taking in his built frame in appreciation. She then stepped towards him, the two picking up the kiss at a feverish pace.

Embry moved her around so that her back was facing the bed and the two tumbled down on top of it, Mara letting out a small groan of pain.

“Did I hurt you?” Embry asked, stopping everything. Mara smiled.

“Just… you weigh a lot,” she replied, chuckling. He shifted so that he was putting most of his weight on his arms. “Better.” She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair and then across his cheeks. “I think I’m falling in love with you.”

“I think I’m falling in love with you too,” he replied. Mara then pulled his face down to hers, smiling into the kiss.

~~~

Sometime later, Mara sighed as she laid her head on Embry’s chest, snuggling up to him.

“Well… this is not what I was expecting when I came to Forks,” she said. Embry chuckled.

“It was unexpected for me as well,” he admitted. “I didn’t even know you were going to be in that clearing that day.” He looked down at her. “Do you have any questions?”

“God… too many,” she said. Embry chuckled as he kissed her head.

“Ask me anything,” he said.

“Okay… so your body heat… is that a wolf thing?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said.

“That is so going to come in handy during the winter,” she said. “Seriously… I get cold so easily… and your size and how much you eat?”

“We have a higher metabolism,” he said. “It’s also harder for us to get drunk.” Mara nodded slowly.

“I’m so jealous of that,” she said.

“I still don’t drink that much,” he said.

“All the other couples… Sam and Emily… Jacob and Nessie…”

“They’ve all imprinted. I’m actually one of the last to do so,” he said. Mara looked up at him.

“Really?” she asked.

“Yea, I was starting to think that it wouldn’t happen. Most of the guys imprinted about eight years ago. It happens as soon as you see the other person after your first phasing,” he said.

“I guess you were just waiting for me to show up,” Mara said, smiling.

“It was worth the wait,” Embry replied. Mara went silent a few moments.

“What was it like? Imprinting?” she asked.

“It was like… well, the first time I came across you in the woods, you were out in the clearing with the deputy and I could, well this is going to sound strange no matter how I put it, but I could smell you… and then I got this tingling feeling,” he said.

“You could smell me? God, I hope it wasn’t bad,” she said. Embry chuckled.

“Everyone has their own scent… to me… yours is like lavender,” he said. Mara nodded slowly.

“Lavender…”

“And then the next day when I saw you… the whole world stopped and… it was like I could see everything… us together. Happy,” he said.

“It was kind of like that for me,” Mara said. “There was this buzzing sound and then you walked out and… ever since that moment anytime I was around you, it was like the world made sense. Is it like that for everyone?”

“Not sure,” he said. “Feelings don’t come as fast to imprintees or in the same way. But with everyone else… they all imprinted on people they had met before, so there was a foundation there. Well, except for Jacob and Quil, but their situations are a bit… different…”

“So, who knows about you guys?” Mara asked.

“Chief does, but no one else at the station. And obviously, whoever we imprint on knows. The tribe council. But outside that, no one else does. And they can’t,” he said. Mara frowned.

“So, your mom… she doesn’t know?” she asked. Embry shook his head.

“Back when I was in Sam’s pack… he gave me permission to tell her, but… I thought it was too big for her to know,” he said.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“It’s fine. It’s gotten easier to keep it from her,” he said.

“And I won’t tell anyone,” she vowed.

“I trust you… obviously,” he said. Mara was silent a few moments.

“Wait… so does everyone know that you’ve imprinted on me?” she asked, thinking back to how all the others in La Push had tried to push them together since the first time she went up there.

“Right… about that,” Embry said, grimacing. He knew Mara wasn’t going to like what he was about to say next. “So… when we’re in wolf form… we have pack telepathy. Meaning… everyone can hear everyone else’s thoughts… there are, ah, no secrets.”

Mara sat up in bed, looking down at him.

“You mean… everyone knows about me? The imprint? And my sense?” she asked.

“Yea… I know that you wanted it to stay between us, but… it’s impossible,” he said. “I can’t fight it.” Mara frowned. “But they don’t see you differently. And, well, we’re long used to the weird.”

“But they also know about my father,” she said.

“Mar, we’re a family, the pack. And now you’re part of it too,” he said, looking up at her. “They’ll do anything and everything to keep you safe. And they won’t see you any differently.” She started chewing her bottom lip as she looked away. She hadn’t wanted anyone to know about her secret. Or about her father. But now… she couldn’t help but feel that she should be angry. But for some reason she didn’t. “Mara?”

“I’m not angry,” she said, looking at him. “I’m just… okay. So, they know… I’m adjusting…”

“I swear, they’re good people. No judgement,” he said. “I mean… we turn into wolves.” Mara nodded.

“Does it hurt? When you do it?” she asked.

“No. Honestly, now I barely think about it when I do,” he said. Mara nodded and sighed.

“So… my boyfriend turns into a wolf,” she mused.

“Boyfriend?” Embry said, a smile appearing. Mara looked up at him.

“Well… might as well put a name on it,” she replied.

“I like the sound of that… boyfriend,” he said. Mara chuckled. Her phone then buzzed again. She looked over at it. It was the fifth time and she knew she couldn’t ignore Katie any longer, but she wasn’t sure what to tell her friend. How did she begin to explain all of this?

“Probably Kates again,” she said.

“Your best friend?”

“Yea. She called just before you came in. I told her that I would call her back,” she said.

“You don’t want to answer?” Embry asked.

“I do… I just don’t know what to tell her,” she replied. “I probably should call Richard too…” She sighed again. “This is all… I don’t even know what to say… And I still have the story.” Embry frowned. He was surprised that she hadn’t brought it up yet or asked him what was behind the deaths now that she knew it wasn’t the wolves.

Mara laid back down on his chest.

“I’ll take care of it in a bit. I just… I want a few more minutes of this before I have to go back to work or face the outside world,” she said. Embry pulled her closer.

“I swear, Mara. I’ll keep you safe,” he said. “And this… it’ll be over soon.” She nodded, not saying anything.

She would eventually ask him. But for now, she wanted to soak a few more moments of bliss.


	14. Caught Redhanded

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mara figures out exactly what's out there in the forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own any of the characters or previous story from Twilight, but I do own the original characters and this story.
> 
> Setting: Post-books/movies  
> Pairing: Embry/OC  
> Genre: Drama/Romance/Mystery/Action  
> Rating: M (Language, Sexual Situations, Mention of violence)

“God, I’m starving,” Mara said as she and Embry stepped out from her hotel room. “I could probably eat about three hamburgers.” Embry chuckled as he put an arm around her waist to lead her over to her car, sneaking a kiss on her cheek. “Though I suppose that’s just a snack for you…”

“We need to eat a lot. We burn through a lot of calories,” he said.

“Seriously, so jealous of that. I wish I could eat whatever I want and stay in shape,” she said with a sigh. “Instead I’ve got to go to the gym…”

“It’s not always as great as you think,” Embry said. “I’m constantly hungry…”

“Mara!”

They stopped just in front of Mara’s car, seeing Mike jogging up to them. Relief was clearly written across his face.

“Mike, what are you doing here?” she asked.

“I was worried. After seeing how you looked at the station this morning. And then you haven’t been answering your phone or messages,” he said, stopping in front of them.

“Sorry about that,” she said. “I was a bit distracted.”

“Right…” Mike said as he looked at the ground, seeming a bit uncomfortable. Mara frowned, confused at his reaction. Then it suddenly dawned on her what it looked like. She hadn’t been answering the phone and he had just caught her walking out of her room with Embry’s arm around her waist.

It was exactly what it looked like, but she didn’t want to admit that to Mike. She felt Embry’s hand tighten slightly around her as a deep rumbling went through his body. Mara glanced up at him, catching him frown slightly. Was he seriously growling right now? At Mike?

“I was exhausted,” she said quickly. “I’ve been passed out all day. But I’m fine now.”

“I see,” Mike said, shifting awkwardly.

“Right, so anything new on the case?” Mara asked, turning them to safer topics.

“They’re still out searching the woods, though the chief has called back some of our guys,” Mike said.

“Right… well, we’re just going to eat and then we’ll meet you back at the station,” Mara said, pulling Embry towards her car.

“Got it,” Mike said, turning to go back to his truck. They were quiet as they climbed in, though Embry was still shooting scowls towards Mike.

“Seriously, Embry?” Mara said once she started the car. “What’s with all this protective growling and shit?”

“It’s a wolf thing,” he said quickly. Mara rolled her eyes.

“You sure about that?” she asked. Embry didn’t answer. “I told you - there’s nothing there. We’ve just been working on the case together.”

“Still…”

“Still nothing, Embry. I know you’re all about protecting me, but Mike is not a threat. Not to mention, you’ve got to trust me,” she said, frowning at him. “So, chill the fuck out.” Embry smiled sheepishly.

“Sorry… I’m still getting used to the imprint,” he said. “But… yea, I’ll get control of it. Don’t worry. I’ll chill out.”

“Better,” Mara replied.

~~~

Once they had settled at the diner with their food and Mara had inhaled half her hamburger, she swallowed and reached for her coke.

“So, what’s the plan now?” she asked. “With the case.”

“We’re going to be in the woods as much as we can until we catch it,” Embry said, his voice low as he glanced around. “And you are going to stay far away from the woods until this is over.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” she said. “But… you know what this is.” Embry stared at her a few moments before nodding silently. “What is it?”

“I can’t tell you here,” he said.

“Right… public place. Not a good idea,” she said. “Does the chief know?”

“No,” he said. “And he prefers it that way.” Mara frowned as she looked down at her plate, wondering just what was killing the hikers. Embry had said that her sense wasn’t off – these were murders. That meant it had to be human. Or something like a human. Just what else was out there that he wasn’t telling her about?

“My boss is going to want something,” she said. “If I can’t tell him what it really is, I need a story. A believable story.” She couldn’t believe the words coming out of her mouth. It went against everything she had believed in as a reporter. And it set her on edge. But at the same time, she wasn’t about to out the wolf packs. Not to mention, she was fairly sure no one would believe her if she turned in a story saying that mystical creatures were killing hikers.

Embry, on the other hand, seemed to relax. She was finally getting it.

“Don’t worry about that. We have it covered,” he said. Mara nodded slowly.

“After this, we’ll go to the station and get an update. And then do you have to go out to the others?” she asked. Embry nodded.

“I’ll go check in with them while you’re with the chief,” he said. “I shouldn’t be gone long. I’ll meet you back at the motel.”

“But you don’t have a car,” Mara said. Embry just stared at her. “Oh… right… so are you planning to be my personal bodyguard?”

“Yes,” Embry said. “You need one of us watching over you just in case. You’ve been all over the woods the last few days. I don’t want to chance it picking up your scent and coming after you.”

Mara was silent as she continued eating, her mind whirling as she thought over what could possibly be out there. Something that could pick up a person’s scent. Track. And then easily overpower and kill a grown man.

She shook her head, putting it aside. She then suddenly remembered that she had the file of photos back at the room she hadn’t looked over. She would go to the station and then rush back to the room. She felt that if she looked over the photos, she could finally figure out what this was.

~~~

Mara waved at Embry before he turned and started jogging down the road. She then walked into the station and found Chief Swan in his office with a large map spread out across his desk.

“Chief,” she said, stopping just inside the door. He looked up, surprised to see her there.

“You’re looking better,” he said. Mara stepped in and shut the door behind her.

“Feeling better,” she said. “Embry explained some things to me.” The chief frowned.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Well… I know. About… them. The wolves,” she said. Chief Swan’s eyes widened.

“He told you?” he asked. Mara nodded.

“We, ah, turns out that he imprinted on me. Which means I get to be let in on the big secret,” she said, smiling slightly.

“He what?” Chief Swan asked, confused.

“Imprinted,” Mara repeated. Chief Swan just shook his head.

“Must be one of those wolf things they didn’t explain to me,” he said. Mara’s eyebrows rose. She hoped that she hadn’t just inadvertently revealed some big pack secret.

“It’s nothing important,” she said quickly. “Basically, just means that it’s okay that I know.” She stepped over to him, glancing at the map. “How is the search?”

“So far they haven’t found anything. No body, no… whatever is killing people,” he said, frowning as he looked back down. “They’ve covered this area and this area,” he motioned towards two large swatches of land, “but there’s still a lot to go over. I’ve got officers out around La Push beach at the moment.” Mara nodded as she stared down at it.

“Basically, nothing new since this morning,” she said.

“Yea, it’s going to take some time,” he replied.

“Okay. I’m going back to the motel to get some work done. Call me if you get anything,” she said, turning from him.

“I will,” he said. “Wait, Mara.” She stopped and turned to face him. “What are you going to tell your boss?” He seemed worried.

“Well, I can only write what I have evidence for,” she said. “So… whatever evidence you give me… that’s what I’ll write.” Charlie let out the breath he had been holding.

“I appreciate it,” he said. Mara smiled.

“I understand why you had to keep your secrets. They’re now my secrets too,” she replied before turning and leaving.

~~~

Mara threw her bag on the floor as she sat at the table and started to reach for the file. Now that she was alone, it was time to get to work. She had promised she would only write what facts the police chief gave her, but she couldn’t help but want to know the truth. At the very least to see if it was something she could potentially write about.

Just as she was about to open it, her phone rang. Rolling her eyes she picked it up, seeing that her mother was calling.

“Hey, Mom,” she said.

“Thank god, what’s going on? Kates has been beyond worried. She said that you sounded frantic on the phone this morning. Why haven’t you been answering?” she shouted.

“Sorry, I’ve been busy. The case kind of picked up a lot starting last night,” she said.

“What happened?”

“There was another attack last night and they’ve been out in the woods trying to corner the animal,” Mara said, feeling it better to leave out the fact that she had been out in the woods and knew this mostly from firsthand experience.

“Christ, another death?” her mother asked.

“Well… they don’t know yet,” Mara said, her thoughts going back to the night before when she saw the wolves drag the man into the forest. Was that who was behind all of this? What was he? Embry had said he was dangerous. “They can’t find the body.”

“Probably dragged off by whatever beast is doing this. God, Mara. When can you come home? I don’t like the idea of you being there,” her mother said.

“Relax, Mom. I’m not going out in the woods. I’m either at the station or in my motel room. It’s not going to break in and get me,” she said. Or could it? Was she really safe anywhere? “I should be home soon.”

“Good,” her mother said. Mara was silent a few moments, going back and forth on whether she should mention Embry. “Mar? There’s something else, isn’t there?”

“Well, since you asked,” Mara said, glancing out the window. “I’ve… well… I’ve met someone.”

“What? I thought you were there to cover a story?” her mother asked. “When did you have time to meet someone?”

“I am. And I have been. It was… unexpected,” she said. “But he’s really great, Mom. You’ll like him. And he’s moving to Seattle, so you’ll get to see him a lot.”

“Mara Winslow, what the hell? You just met this guy and he’s moving in with you?!” her mother shouted. “Have I taught you nothing?!” Mara rolled her eyes.

“God, no. He’s transferring to UW in the spring. He was planning it before he met me,” she said. Though she couldn’t help but imagine Embry living with her. In a way it did make sense. She had that big house all to herself and it wasn’t that far from the university. Sure, it was fast, but there was nothing conventional about their relationship. Not now that she knew the truth.

“Oh… so he’s younger than you,” her mother said. Mara could hear the smile in her voice.

“He put off school to take care of his mom,” Mara said. “He’s a year younger than me. Been taking online courses and plans to major in pre-med before going to med school.”

“Oh, well then,” her mother said. Mara couldn’t help but chuckle. Her mother wasn’t pretentious by any means, but Mara was her only child so she was a bit protective of her. More so after her father died. “I look forward to meeting him. He going to be taking any history classes? What’s his name?”

“Embry Call,” Mara said. “And I don’t know. It’s all… still new.”

“Well, you sound happy. And that’s all that matters to me, Mars Bar,” her mother said.

“Mom… I’m 25 years old. Do you seriously have to keep calling me that?” she asked, a small smile on her face.

“I won’t call you that in front of Embry,” she replied. “But you’ll always be my Mars Bar, you know.”

“Yea, I know,” Mara said. She sat up in her chair, noticing Embry making his way towards her room. “Gotta go, Mom. Work.”

“Be sure to get some sleep, Mara. I know how you get,” her mother replied.

“I will. Love you,” she said.

“Love you, too.”

She hung up and stood, glancing down at the file. Looked like she was going to have to wait on that. Sighing, she opened the door.

“You brought dinner? We just ate,” she said, eying the bags in his hand.

“It’s mostly for me, but you’re free to have some,” he said, walking in. Mara shut the door and quickly cleared space on the table, tucking the file under some other papers. She felt a little wrong hiding it from Embry, but she knew that he would have something to say about it and she really needed to figure out who was behind the attacks.

“How are things with the pack?” she asked as they both sat down, her brow furrowed as she reached over and grabbed a french fry. Embry sighed.

“They lost the trail again,” he said. “But Sam and Jacob have everyone out searching. They sent the police over somewhere else far from where the attacks were happening. We don’t want them out there at all, but we have to keep up appearances.” Mara nodded.

“Are they okay with you being cooped in here with me?” she asked. Embry smiled.

“They understand. And they agree that for now, it’s best for me to be here with you,” he said. He looked out the window, seeming to stare at something. Mara looked out, hoping to catch what he was staring at, but there was nothing.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Nothing,” he said. Mara looked over at him.

“Well, since you’re stuck with me and I’m stuck waiting on updates from Swan,” Mara said. Embry chuckled.

“More questions?” he asked. Mara leaned towards him.

“How did you become like this? Were you bitten? Is there a way for others to become like you?” she asked.

“Again, we’re not werewolves,” he said. “It’s genetic – passed down only in the Quileute tribe.”

“But your mother is Makah,” Mara said, remembering one of their earlier conversations. Embry was silent a few moments.

“Yea… I never met my dad and mom never told me about him. I assumed that he was on the Makah reservation. But when I phased for the first time, it was obvious that she had been involved with someone from the Quileute,” he said. Mara’s eyes widened.

“Sounds like a soap opera,” she said.

“It did create some drama,” he said. “There were only three options, and all of them were married at the time I was born.”

“God, did you… did she ever tell you who it was?” she asked. Embry nodded.

“It took a long time for me to build up the courage to ask. And well, I knew she was going to want to know how I knew and I couldn’t tell her about the pack,” he said. “I suppose I could have asked others without going to her, but I wanted to hear it from her.”

“And?”

“His name is Joshua Uley,” he said.

“Wait… you mean that you’re-”

“Yea, Sam’s half-brother,” he said with a heavy sigh.

“And you never met him?” she asked. Embry shook his head.

“Sam’s dad ran off on his mom when Sam was still in school and hasn’t been back since,” he said. Mara nodded.

“I’m so sorry. I’m sure that was a hard conversation. Does Sam know?” she asked.

“He does. I talked to him about it after my mom finally told me. He always kind of sensed something, though. He’s always looked out for me,” Embry said. Mara nodded slowly.

“So, this shapeshifting thing is passed on within the tribe,” she said. “And it doesn’t hit everyone?”

“No, not everyone,” he replied.

“Do you know what determines who gets it and who doesn’t?” Mara asked. Embry shrugged. He knew what caused the gene to become active, but he couldn’t tell her that without giving away the existence of vampires.

“We have stories and legends within the tribe, but we’re not completely sure why now,” he lied. “Before Sam first phased, there hadn’t been any for a few generations. His great-grandfather was one of the last shapeshifters. Up until then, we all thought they were just stories.”

“When did you first change?” Mara asked.

“In 2006,” he said. Mara frowned. That was around the last bout of mysterious deaths. It had to have been related. “I was one of the first after Sam. He told me all about it and I joined his pack.”

“When did they split up?” she asked, remembering that he had said he was part of Jacob’s pack. Embry thought a moment, trying to figure out how to explain it without mentioning vampires. He was beginning to think it would be impossible.

“Well, since Sam was the first to phase and the oldest, he took on the role of alpha. But technically Jacob was meant to be it – its normally inherited and his great-grandfather was the last alpha. However, when Sam tried to get him to take it, Jacob turned it down at first,” he explained. Mara was silent, taking in the information. “And then… Jacob and Sam had a disagreement. Jacob decided to use his inherited alpha and left the pack – Leah and Seth followed him.

“After a while, I saw Jacob’s side of things and decided to join him. I mean, he’s my best friend, after all. Quil followed me,” he said. Mara nodded.

“Must have been something pretty big if it split up the packs,” she commented.

“It had to do with Nessie,” Embry said, though as soon as it left his lips, he worried he had said too much. Mara nodded slowly.

“I hope I get to meet this Nessie,” she replied.

“Maybe. She doesn’t come down to Forks that much,” he replied.

He continued on, telling her about the intricacies of the pack and Mara sat back in her chair, taking it all in. Or at least, pretending to. After the sun went down, they watched a movie and then settled in for the night. Mara closed her eyes, pretending to sleep until she heard Embry’s breathing even out and he began to snore softly.

Silently, she slid out of the bed, her curiosity getting the better of her. There was no way she could sleep until she looked at the photos to see if they shined any light on the case. She walked over and grabbed the file, then made her way to the bathroom. After shutting the door, she sat it down on the counter and opened it, starting to spread the photos out.

“God,” she murmured.

She had her evidence that the autopsy reports had been doctored - most of the wounds added in weren’t there. She then focused on close-ups of the wounds. With the blood cleared away, she could clearly make out teeth marks.

Teeth marks that didn’t look like any animal she knew. In fact, they looked more human than anything. But there was no way a human could do this. She flipped through to the others, noticing that one victim had their neck snapped. She couldn’t recall if any animal could break a neck like that.

_They were drained of blood…_

Mara’s eyes widened as she took a step back and ran into the tub, knocking over a shampoo bottle. It wasn’t possible. But then again, shapeshifters weren’t supposed to exist either. Hell, even she shouldn’t be able to do what she did. Embry had said there were things in this world that people didn’t know about – shouldn’t know about. Things as in plural.

The thing they were hunting in the woods was one of those. A vampire.

She jumped as there was a knock on the door.

“Mar? Everything okay? Thought I heard something,” he said.

“Uh, yea. I’ll be right out,” she said, quickly gathering up the photos and shoving them into the file as her hands shook. Just before she opened the door, she stopped. Embry obviously didn’t want her to know about this. She wasn’t sure what to do. Confront him. Or keep playing that she didn’t know anything.

What did this mean for the story? She obviously couldn’t write that the attacks were being carried out by vampires. She would be laughed out of the newspaper and could kiss her career good-bye. And from the way Embry acted whenever the subject of what was causing the attacks came up, it seemed as though it were dangerous for her to know. But if vampires were out there killing innocent people, shouldn’t they have a right to know? To protect themselves?

She looked down at the file a moment and then shoved it into the cabinet under the sink. She wouldn’t decide right now. Maybe tomorrow she would bring it up.

She then walked out into the room and crawled into bed next to Embry.

“You sure everything’s okay?” he asked, looking at her. She was still shaking.

“Yea, really,” she said. “Just had a bad dream.”

“You want to talk about it?” he asked.

“No, it’s fine. Just need to get some sleep,” she said, kissing him. She then settled into the bed and closed her eyes.

Tomorrow. She would deal with it tomorrow.


	15. Ending It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And like that, it's over. Or is it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own any of the characters or previous story from Twilight, but I do own the original characters and this story.
> 
> Setting: Post-books/movies  
> Pairing: Embry/OC  
> Genre: Drama/Romance/Mystery/Action  
> Rating: M (Language, Sexual Situations, Mention of violence)

An uneasiness had settled in the next morning as Embry watched Mara. She had continued being vague and jumpy around him, though insisted it was nothing. After a call to the chief with no update, she settled to work at her laptop, writing up another article and then talking to her boss on the phone. Embry stood at the window, scanning their surroundings, though he kept an eye on her as well.

More and more, he was beginning to think that that brilliant mind of hers had started putting things together. Part of him actually hoped that she would just so he no longer had to keep hiding it from her. Sometime in the afternoon, he told her he was going out for a bit. The motel room was getting claustrophobic and he needed to phase so he could communicate with Jacob without her overhearing. Mara seemed almost relieved and assured him that she wouldn’t leave the room.

He said he’d be back in about 20 minutes and quickly jogged into the woods a safe distance before phasing.

_How are things going?_ he heard Jacob say.

_Well… something may have come up,_ Embry quickly replied. _I think she’s figured it out._

_Think? How?_

_She’s smart. Asked a lot of questions about us. I was vague and left out all the stuff about vampires, but she’s been a bit distant today,_ he replied. _Would it be so bad if she knew? It would make things a lot easier. Emily and the others know._

_That’s because they live on the reservation and come into regular contact with vampires,_ Jacob replied. _They are under the packs’ protection._

_But so is Mara,_ Embry replied.

_It’s different. You guys are going to be on your own in Seattle._

_It’s not different. We should tell her. She needs to know._

_No, she doesn’t. This is for her own safety._

_Jacob-_

_You will not tell her about the vampires,_ Jacob ordered. Embry felt a pressure fall over him as the alpha order came through.

_Fine,_ he replied. He couldn’t tell her now even if he wanted to. There was suddenly chaos in his mind. _What’s going on?_

_Get back here. He’s back,_ Jacob said.

_I need to tell Mara._

_Hurry. Cecily is already on her way to watch._

Embry quickly phased back and ran to the motel. He banged on the door and waited until a worried Mara opened it.

“I have to go. The packs have found it,” he said quickly. Mara’s eyes widened. “Stay inside until I get back. Keep the door locked. Do not come out until I come back and do not let anyone in.” She nodded. He started to turn away, but Mara reached out and grabbed him, pulling him towards her. She quickly kissed him.

“Be safe,” she said, her eyes full of worry. Embry smiled.

“I will be,” he said. He left one last kiss on her lips before turning and running through the parking lot and across the highway, disappearing into the woods.

“Cecily?” he shouted once he was in them.

“Here,” a voice said as the redhead stepped out from behind a tree. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep her safe.” Embry nodded and then phased, taking off through the woods.

~~~

_He’s just ahead!_

_We’re gaining on him!_

_Where are the Cullens?_

_Somewhere up ahead, I think. Said they were going to circle around and cut him off._

Embry pushed himself, his senses zeroing in on the sickly sweet scent left in the vampire’s wake. Just up ahead, he could see him dodging through trees, occasionally looking back at the wolves hot on his trail. Anger started coursing through Embry’s body as they got closer.

The bloodsucker had been about to hurt Mara that night on the beach and he wasn’t going to give him another chance to get to her again.

Suddenly, the vampire was flying back into the air and collided with a tree.

_Nice of Demetri to finally show up,_ Embry heard Quil say. The wolves quickly poured into the clearing, surrounding the now nervous-looking vampire, all of them with their teeth bared and snarling. He glanced around at them, eyes wide as he scrambled to his feet.

“You have created quite a spectacle,” Demetri said smoothly as he walked into the clearing from the trees, Rosalie and Emmett just behind him. The vampire froze.

“The Volturi,” he whispered. “Please, you must list-” The vampire started gagging, choking on his words as Demetri was suddenly across the clearing and holding him up by his throat.

“I’m not here for the Volturi,” he said dryly as he looked up at the struggling vampire. “Therefore, I do not need to listen to your excuses or half-baked apologies. You’ve drawn some attention and killed humans in an area that is protected. You must face the consequences for that.”

The vampire kicked as he attempted to scratch at Demetri’s hands, all the while gargling as he attempted to speak. Cracks started appearing around his neck where Demetri was gripping it. Embry felt a stirring of something in his mind, but he wasn’t quite sure. Something felt off. Part of him wished that Edward had been there so they could at least see into the vampire’s head.

But at the same time, it was the same scent. This was the vampire that had been attacking and killing the local hikers. This was the stench he had smelled on the beach next to Mara.

“Emmett, Rosalie. If you would be so kind,” Demetri said, his eyes still fixed on the vampire. Within seconds, it was over. Rosalie and Emmett were on one side of the clearing and then suddenly on opposite sides, each holding body parts as Demetri dropped the body and the head rolled away, the face frozen in a grotesque look of horror. Rosalie quickly gathered the parts together as Emmett tossed a match and set it on fire.

The wolves quickly phased back, walking up to watch the body burn.

“Wish they were all that easy,” Emmett said, smiling.

The statement stuck in Embry’s head. It had been too easy. They had spent weeks trying to catch this guy, all that time he had eluded them. And then suddenly they had been able to catch him just like that without much effort. He looked up, noticing an odd look had come across Demetri’s face as he gazed off into the woods.

“What do you think it was?” Quil said.

“What do you mean?” Emmett asked.

“For weeks we couldn’t even get close to this guy and then today… we probably didn’t even need both packs out,” Quil replied.

“Maybe he was distracted by something,” Emmett said.

“Or had an accomplice?” Rosalie added.

“Or you guys don’t want to admit that you need us,” Emmett said, smirking.

“There was only ever one scent,” Jacob said. “If another vampire had been in these woods, we would have smelled them.”

Everyone then looked over at Demetri, who was still looking into the woods, a look of contemplation on his face.

“Something is odd,” he said. Then suddenly he was gone.

“Where did he go?” Quil asked.

“Probably to check in with Cecily,” Emmett said. “We’ll go with him.”

“We need to tell Chief Swan,” Sam said. “Paul, you and Jared go take care of the next part of the plan.” Paul nodded then he and Jared left the clearing.

“Embry, you should get back to Mara,” Jacob said, disrupting his thoughts. Embry nodded and then turned, running through the woods.

It was over. Mara was safe.

But something in the back of his mind screamed that it wasn’t over. Not really.

~~~

Mara quickly scanned through the website before closing it and moving on to the next one. The articles about the mysterious deaths were in a pile on her table next to the file of photos. She reread them and now saw them for what they were.

They were obviously murders committed by vampires.

Ever since Embry left, she had been on the internet searching for anything and everything she could find on vampire lore. A lot of it was bogus. She had found several websites devoted to amateur writers posting sordid vampire tales. Christ, people were obsessed with them.

But then she had come across a few sites that were helpful – mainly containing folklore from all over the world. It seemed every culture had its own version of vampires.

Part of her was tempted to call her mother and ask her what she knew about old legends around the state regarding vampires or something like them, but she quickly nixed that idea. She didn’t want to bring her into it.

She then searched Quileute legends and found what Embry had been keeping from her. The reason the wolves had started phasing were due to the appearance of the cold ones. Vampires. He and the pack had phased because somewhere in Forks there were other vampires. And they had always been here from what it seemed.

Their whole purpose of existence was to protect the tribe from vampires.

Obviously, she couldn’t use any of this. She hoped that Chief Swan and the packs came up with a believable alternative. Everything that she had already told Richard would have him suspicious if they had anything short of concrete.

A rapt knock on the door caused her to jump. She stood and peered out the window, seeing Embry there. Quickly, she closed out the websites and put the file away.

That was fast. He had only been gone a couple hours.

She then opened the door, relief filling her as she saw he was unharmed, though he appeared tired.

“Is it over?” she asked as he stepped in.

“Yea, it’s over,” he said, walking over and falling into one of the chairs. Mara nodded as she walked over and bent down, wrapping her arms around him.

“I’m just glad that you’re okay,” she said. Embry chuckled.

“I can handle a lot,” he said. “And he was sorely outnumbered.”

“He?” Mara asked as she let go and backed up. Embry blinked.

“Yea,” he said. He wanted to tell her. Badly. But the gag order was still in place and the words couldn’t come out no matter how hard he tried.

“Embry, what aren’t you telling me?” she asked. He seemed to be struggling with his words, almost as though he couldn’t get his tongue to work. “Embry?”

“I can’t tell you,” he said, looking up at her.

“Yes, you can,” she said, frowning.

“No, I mean I literally can’t. When an alpha gives an order, we have to obey it,” he said.

“Jacob ordered you not to tell me,” she said. He nodded. She took a deep breath and glanced over at the file on the table. “Then I suppose I can tell you. I know what was in the woods.” Embry’s eyes widened. “You were hunting a vampire, weren’t you?”

Embry was silent. He knew she’d figure it out.

“How?” he finally asked.

“Well… you gave me enough hints,” she said with a sigh as she reached over and grabbed the file. After dropping it in front of him, she flipped it open and started spreading the photos out. “And then I saw these and it all came together. Mike gave them to me yesterday.”

Embry leaned up, looking at the photos. They were of the autopsies and crime scenes.

“I had a hunch that the reports Swan gave me weren’t completely true. These confirmed it. They added other injuries to make it look like an animal. But in truth the only real injuries were the bite marks - and they weren’t as extensive as they made them out to be in the reports. Save the guy that got his neck broken. Though the biggest was when Mike told me that they were drained of blood,” she said with a sigh. Embry looked up at her.

“You’ve been busy,” he said, a smile tugging at his lips.

“This is honestly your fault… you were the one who told me that there are other things out there besides you guys… I’ve spent the time you were gone going through vampire folklore. Came across those legends you mentioned,” she said. “Care to tell me why it was so dangerous for me to know?” Embry sighed as she leaned against the table and crossed her arms in front of her.

“Vampires have a strict law – humans aren’t to know about their existence,” he said. “There are these sort of law enforcers – the Volturi – they will kill any human they find that knows about them. Unless they are turned.” Mara’s eyes widened.

“They could kill me if they knew that I knew?” she asked softly. “Or turn me into a vampire?” Embry shrugged.

“Maybe… but now that I’ve imprinted on you, in a way you’re part of the pack. There is a level of protection there, but we didn’t want to push it since you don’t live on tribal lands,” he said. Mara chewed on her bottom lip.

“That man at the beach… he was a vampire, wasn’t he? That’s who was doing this,” she said.

“Yea, but as I said, it’s taken care of. He’s dead,” Embry said.

“But there are others in the area. That’s why you all became wolves,” she said. “And I suppose all over the world. Embry… no one is safe.” Embry leaned forward towards her.

“The vampires that were in this area didn’t kill anyone. We actually had a treaty with them, but now there’s permanent truce. There are covens that don’t hurt humans. They live off animal blood. And we make sure that everyone around Forks and La Push are safe,” he said. “You don’t have to worry. The Cullens are in Vancouver now, but they still keep an eye on the area. They have a home here, but they can only stay for several years at time before they start to raise suspicions.”

“The Cullens? That’s… is Nessie a vampire?” she asked, vaguely remembering someone call her by her full name. Embry chuckled.

“She’s something completely different,” he said. “Half vampire, half human.” Mara’s eyes widened.

“How is that possible?” she asked.

“Mara… I will tell you – everything. But for now, I think we should get to the station,” he said, standing. “Chief Swan is sure to have all the final reports for you.”

“Fine, but I want to know everything that you’ve been keeping from me,” she replied. “Everything about vampires.” Embry put his hands on her waist as he smiled down at her and pulled her closer.

“I promise… no more secrets,” he said, kissing her.

“The others aren’t going to be happy that I know, are they?” she asked.

“Probably not, but honestly, it was a matter of time,” he said. “There was no way that you were going to stay in the dark. You are far too clever.” Mara smiled slightly.

“I am a reporter,” she replied as she stepped over to grab her bag. She then suddenly stopped, a look coming over her face. “The SIB agents… they weren’t agents.” She remembered them having unworldly pale skin and the strangest color of eyes.

“No, they are part of the Cullens’ coven. We called them down when we ran into trouble tracking the rogue vampire. Demetri is a tracker,” Embry explained. Mara’s eyes widened as the realization hit her.

“Cecily Stewart,” she said. Embry frowned. He hadn’t mentioned Cecily’s name in front of her. “The Times reporter that disappeared.” She looked over at him. “She’s a vampire.”

“Yes. She was run off the road by some group she had been investigating. Would have died if the Cullens hadn’t of taken her in and turned her,” he said. Mara shook her head.

“God, this is a lot of information,” she said.

“And I’ll answer all your questions, but we should get going,” he said.

“What about Jacob and the others? What will they do when they find out that I know?” she asked.

“Let me handle them.”

~~~

“That is one massive bear,” Mara said, staring at the photo.

“Early reports say it was rabid, but we’re running tests to make sure,” Charlie said. “I can send you the results once they’re in if you need them.” Mara glanced over at him, an eyebrow raised. She then took a deep breath and looked back at the photo.

“If I can make a suggestion,” she said. “Might want to include in the report that you found traces of the last victim’s blood in its teeth.”

“Right,” Charlie said.

“I’ll call my editor and give him the news and then send off the last story. Could you send me digital copies?” she asked, waving the photo at him. Charlie nodded.

“Got it,” he said. Mara started moving towards the door. “Mara…”

She stopped and looked over at him.

“Thanks,” he said. “For understanding.” She smiled.

“Like I said, it’s my secret now too,” she replied.

“And good luck back in Seattle. I’m sorry if this wasn’t the big break you were looking for,” he said. Mara shrugged.

“There will always be other stories,” she replied. “I don’t think I’ll be kicked off the crime desk over this. Besides… I got a lot more out of it than I could have ever hoped for.” Charlie nodded. “Take care of yourself, Charlie.”

“You too,” he replied. She then turned and walked out of his office. She would call Richard on the way back to the motel and then quickly write and send off the article. He would want her back in the city soon so they could go over the photos and layout. She still needed to pack.

“So that’s it?” Mike asked. Mara stopped and turned to face him. “A rabid bear?”

“Yea, seems that’s what it was,” she said.

“Do not tell me you buy that. You saw the photos,” he said, his voice dropping as he came near her.

“What do you think it was?” she asked, meeting his eyes. Mike shrugged, running his hands through his hair.

“I don’t know… but I know that it wasn’t a damn bear,” he replied.

“Well… from what I’ve seen, that’s what it was,” she replied. “And that’s what’s going in my story.”

“You’re just going to believe him? Not even bother to look into it further?” Mike asked. Mara sighed.

“Sometimes things happen that just can’t be explained,” she said. “And we just have to accept that.” Mike stared at her. “See you, Mike.” She then turned and strode out of the station.

~~~

Mara was busy packing when Embry came by later after meeting with Sam and Jacob. It had taken a bit longer than he had expected. But it went about just as he expected.

Neither were happy, though Jacob looked impressed at how she put it together. But once it was all over and done with, Embry felt relieved. There were now no secrets. He and Mara could move forward from here with a fresh start.

But he wasn’t expecting to come back to see her packing. It was already getting late and it was over three hours back to Seattle. He figured she’d stay another night and head back early in the morning. He had been planning to spend the night answering all her questions.

“You’re leaving already?” he asked, his brow furrowed.

“Yea, Richard wants me back ASAP. I’ll have to go straight to the Times,” she said, glancing up at him. “I sent the article, but he wants to go over the evidence in person before deadline tonight. Just to make sure we’ve got everything taken care of.”

“Did he buy it?” Embry asked.

“Barely,” Mara said. “But he’s going with it, so we’re good there.” Embry watched her as she continued to fold clothes and put them in the suitcase. She stopped and looked up at him.

“I know,” she said. “I don’t want to go either. I tried to convince him to let me stay the night since it’s so late anyway, but he’s making me come back.” Embry sighed and stepped over to her, wrapping his arms around her.

“It’s not for long. I’m moving there in a few months. And I’ll come visit every weekend,” he said. “Starting this weekend.”

“Won’t it be painful for you? Being away from me?” she asked, looking up at him.

“It’s manageable,” he said, smiling down at her. “Don’t worry about me.”

“Can’t help it. You’re off running around chasing vampires,” she replied. “Speaking of which, how did that chat go?” Embry grimaced.

“Obviously they weren’t happy, but in the end there’s nothing they could do about it. You figured it out. You know. Can’t undo that,” he said.

“You mean there are no witches out there that can wipe my memory?” she asked, smirking.

“Not that I’m aware of,” he said, kissing her.

“But they have to know that I won’t tell anyone,” Mara said, frowning. “I mean, who would believe me anyway?”

“I made that point to them as well,” he said. “And they had to agree.”

“Plus, they know about me… so in a way, it’s all even,” she said.

“It’s all good,” Embry replied. Though at the back of his mind, he couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t. He still kept thinking about how easily they had caught the vampire.

“Well, as much as I would like to stand here in your arms all day, I do need to get on the road. Care to help me finish packing?” she asked.

“Sure,” Embry said.

~~~

Mara sighed as she collapsed on the sofa in the living room. It was nearly midnight and she was tired, but her mind was too wired to go to sleep. She thought over everything that had taken place over the past few days. All the things she had learned.

Now that she was home and had the time to fully process it all, she was overwhelmed. It was a lot. But at least Richard had given her the morning off so she could sleep in. She had a feeling it would be a good few hours before she finally fell asleep with the way her mind had been whirling.

“Mar!”

She glanced over, seeing Katie walking down the hallway into the living room, dressed as though she had been out at a party. She silently cursed herself for giving her best friend a spare key.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, sitting up.

“You honestly thought I was going to wait until tomorrow to see you?” Katie said, grinning as she walked over to the island in the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of wine from a rack on the counter.

“It’s late,” Mara said, not getting up.

“Eh, I had an event so thought I’d come check-in and crash here. Besides, you said you have the morning off,” Katie replied. “And we both know no one shows up at my office until at least noon after we do an event.” She started pouring the glasses. “And I want to hear all about Embry.”

Mara rolled her eyes as she made herself more comfortable and Katie walked over and sat next to her, holding the wine glass out.

“Was it a tearful goodbye?” she asked, grinning. Mara chuckled as she accepted the glass and took a sip.

“No, he’s coming up this weekend,” she said.

“Wow, already?” Katie asked, her eyes wide. Mara shrugged.

“Decided to try this whole ‘go with it’ thing you’re always preaching to me,” she replied.

“Who are you and what have you done with Mara Winslow?” Katie asked.

“Lot of things have changed,” Mara said, putting the glass to her lips. _More than you could possibly know…_

“Do I get to meet Mr. Wonderful?” Katie asked.

“Suppose,” Mara said. “To be honest, I haven’t thought much about what we’ll do.”

“Well, I know your mom is eager to meet him,” Katie said, smiling.

“Should have never introduced you to my mother,” Mara muttered.

“Honestly Mara, we’re both just happy you’re dating,” Katie said.

“Would it have been so bad if I turned out an old maid?” Mara asked, smiling.

“No, but you weren’t helping yourself,” Katie said. Mara sighed and nodded.

“There’s something cathartic in being able to share things,” she said. “I think that’s what I like most about Embry… I can tell him things and he just… takes it in. Goes with it.”

“See? I told you that you just needed to meet the right sort,” Katie said. Mara stared at her best friend a few moments. She had always shared everything with her – save the bit about her sense. And she wished she could tell her everything now. But she couldn’t. “I’m guessing you two didn’t take any pictures together. I really want to see this guy.” Mara rolled her eyes.

“Hold on, we’re Facebook friends,” she said, digging her phone out of her pocket as Katie squealed.

Even though everything had changed, some things would always be the same.


	16. Not Completely Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mara has an unwanted guest and once it's all said and done, she is faced with a decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own any of the characters or previous story from Twilight, but I do own the original characters and this story.
> 
> Setting: Post-books/movies  
> Pairing: Embry/OC  
> Genre: Drama/Romance/Mystery/Action  
> Rating: M (Language, Sexual Situations, Mention of violence)

Embry frowned as he jogged down the path to Sam and Emily’s house. He had a feeling there was something more. That the situation hadn’t fully been handled when they killed the vampire. He slept fitfully and his thoughts were never far off from Mara. Even though they had spoken as soon as she got back and again that morning, there was a near constant worry flowing through him for her safety.

“What’s going on?” Embry asked as soon as he walked in, seeing Rosalie, Emmett, Cecily and Demetri in the kitchen with Jacob and Sam. All wearing grim looks.

“There were two,” Jacob said, frowning.

“But how? We only had one scent. What’s more, how could you miss this?” Embry nearly shouted, glaring at Demetri. “Something wrong with your skills?”

“Relax,” Sam said. “We all missed it.” Embry just shook his head.

“I did not lose my so-called skills,” Demetri said. “It would appear that these two were… gifted on their own.” Embry was confused.

“What do you mean?”

“Identical scents. Identical registers,” Demetri said. “It’s why we did not know until now that there will two. I am not sure if they were both in on the killings or if one used the other as a scapegoat.”

“How did you figure this out?” Embry asked.

“After we took care of the one in the woods, I picked up the same register, which should not have been possible since we had just killed him,” Demetri said. “I started to follow him, but I see why you were unable to catch him. He is rather gifted in slipping away.”

“So, it’s not over?” Embry asked. “Is he still here?”

“No, we haven’t found any trace around here,” Jacob said. “We’re hoping that since we killed the first one, the other won’t come back. But we’re going to have to keep a lookout for the time being.”

“We’re staying for a bit longer just in case,” Rosalie added. “Demetri and Cess are going to go after him.” Embry nodded as he sat down, taking in the information. Perhaps he wouldn’t come back.

He then thought to the night on the beach. The way the vampire had smelled Mara. His eyes widened. What if they had killed the wrong one? What if the other was now tracking Mara back to Seattle?

“What is it?” Cecily asked.

“Mara,” Embry said, looking at Jacob and Sam. “What if the vampire at the beach… what if it wasn’t the one we killed?”

“You need to go to Mara,” Jacob said. “Now.” Embry nodded as he jumped to his feet and started towards the door.

“I should go with him,” Demetri said. “We can find him faster with me there.”

“Go,” Jacob said.

“I’m coming too,” Cecily added.

“We need to hurry.”

~~~

Mara shook out her hair as she walked into the kitchen from her garage. It had been pouring all day and the storm only seemed to pick up as the sun fell behind the horizon.

Even though the story in Forks hadn’t turned out to be a serial, Richard still seemed happy with her work and had already gotten her started on a few more stories. She had stayed late at the office, getting in some research and plotting out where she needed to go tomorrow.

She was wet, cold and exhausted, but she couldn’t help but smile to herself as she pulled off her raincoat and hung it up. Embry would be coming up tomorrow night and then they would have two full days together. Thankfully after the storm blew through, they were set to have good weather all weekend so they could spend most of the time outdoors.

Mara hummed as she walked over and plugged in her phone to the charger she kept in the kitchen. She then walked over to the fridge and opened it, staring at the mostly empty shelves.

“Dammit,” she muttered. “Should have stopped by the store… I’ll go tomorrow… Looks like it’s takeout tonight…”

“Such a lovely home you have.”

Mara froze, her eyes widening as she recognized the voice. But it couldn’t be. Embry said they had killed him. The vampire was gone. Breathing heavily, she slowly straightened and shut the door before turning around.

Standing in the living room in front of her TV was the man from the beach, grinning at her. In the light of the living room, Mara saw for the first time that his eyes were a brilliant red. It was off-putting.

“You’re supposed to be dead,” she said, quickly going through all her options for getting out of the house or at least away from the man. She wished Embry would have told her more about vampires and their abilities, though she assumed he must be fast if he could outrun the pack. She took a tentative step towards the French doors at the back of her house. He chuckled.

“Ah, yes. Your friends, the wolves. Seems they killed my idiot brother,” he said smoothly. “He was never all that smart.” Mara frowned.

“But… how…”

She was genuinely curious, but at the same time was stalling until she could figure out a way out to safety.

“Right… how did I manage to trick the dogs? To be honest, I didn’t know that Thomas would come after me, but when I noticed him snooping around, I decided to use it to my advantage,” the man said. “We’re identical twins. In life we shared the same DNA and in immortality, we apparently shared the same scent. The same essence. Near impossible to tell us apart.”

“So, you were the one who killed all those people in Forks?” she asked. “You let them kill your brother for your crimes?”

“More or less. Thomas was getting rather aggravating. He hated killing humans. Tried to convince me that we could survive off animal blood… always hated the taste,” he said, wrinkling his nose. “Granted even he never could resist the call of human blood…”

If it weren’t for the terror currently running through her, Mara would have felt guilty about the fact they had punished the wrong vampire. Though she pushed it aside – she’d worry about that if she survived tonight.

“You got away with it, so why are you here?” she asked, lifting her chin slightly.

“After our first meeting, I couldn’t get the mouthwatering smell of your blood out of my mind,” he said. “So, I bided my time until you were far enough away from the mutts and followed you here.”

“They will come after you,” she said.

“The Volturi? They won’t care,” he replied.

“I’m under the pack’s protection,” she said. The man laughed.

“As if they could catch me. They weren’t able to before,” he said. Mara was silent. Part of her knew he was right. “Ah, but where are my manners?” he continued. He then dropped into a dramatic bow, his eyes never leaving Mara. “Marcus.” Mara swallowed, glancing towards the back door again. “You can try to run if you want, but you won’t make it far.”

“So, you’re here to kill me,” she stated, still moving towards the door. She wasn’t far from the dining room table. “You won’t make it far. The wolves will find you. Or the other vampires with them. One is a tracker.”

“Delightful. I haven’t made a good chase in a long while. The mutts were rather boring,” he said, taking a step towards. Mara could tell he was playing with her. If he could move as fast as he said he could, he would have been to her already. “Well then, I believe that is enough chatting for now. I don’t like to play with my food that long.”

Mara turned towards the doors, hoping she could make it outside, though what she’d do once there, she didn’t know. She nearly stopped as she saw something large moving through the darkness towards the house, fast. An ice cold hand gripped her arm, swinging her around just as there was a loud crash and glass and wood flew through the air. A chunk hit her in the side of her head as Mara was thrown back into the wall. For a moment she saw stars as she slid down. But as soon as her sight cleared she looked up, seeing Embry in his wolf form, snapping his head from side to side with the squirming vampire locked in his jaws. Her dining table was smashed to bits underneath the hulk of Embry’s size.

He looked over at Mara and then backed out of the house into the storm, dragging the vampire with him. Somehow, Mara managed to push herself up to her feet, stumbling out to the deck as something sticky ran down her face. The wind whipped her hair around at her face as the rain continued to pour.

It was pure chaos.

Lightning flashed, illuminating the backyard. The vampire had managed to get out of Embry’s grasp and was now laughing at him as Embry growled and snapped at him.

The vampire launched himself towards Embry so quickly that Mara barely saw it.

“EMBRY!” she shrieked as Marcus wrapped his arms around him, yanking his head back. There was a piercing whine. It looked as though he was attempting to break his neck. Mara started towards them. She knew there was nothing she could do, but she couldn’t stay put.

“STAY BACK!” someone shouted. Mara glanced over, seeing Cecily standing next to her. The vampire’s eyes were on the fight, though for a moment she looked over at Mara, her eyes wide as she took a tentative step towards her. Suddenly, she turned and was gone, appearing in the backyard before pouncing on Marcus’ back. The vampire let go of Embry but then shoved Cecily off, throwing her into the woods behind the house. As he turned back to Embry, another vampire was standing in his way – the man from before. The tracker.

Lightning flashed again, this time accompanied by a loud crack of thunder. Mara was completely soaked and could barely make out what was happening. Demetri and Marcus disappeared into the trees with Embry hot on their trail, despite an obvious limp.

Mara started down the steps of the deck and made it halfway across the yard but stopped. The storm raged around her, making it impossible to hear or see what was going on in the woods. She started again, but before she made it far, Demetri was at the edge of the woods. He looked back and waited. Cecily then appeared, helping an injured Embry, now back as a human. Mara ran the rest of the way, taking Embry’s face in her hands, not even registering that he was completely naked.

“What’s wrong? What did you hurt?” she shouted over the rain.

“We need to get him inside!” Cecily shouted. Mara looked over at her and nodded. Demetri stepped over to Embry’s other side and together he and Cecily helped him across the yard as Mara walked in front of them, glancing back.

They picked their way through the debris of the deck and back of the house. Cecily and Demetri walked over and dropped Embry on the sofa as he groaned slightly, while Mara pulled a throw blanket off the back of the sofa and wrapped it around him.

“Seriously, where are you hurt? Should we take him to a hospital?” she shouted, glancing at the vampires.

“I’m fine. He just bruised a few ribs. They’ll heal up in a bit,” Embry said, wincing. “You look like you need a hospital more than me.” Mara reached up to the side of her face, and then put her hand out in front of her, seeing blood on her fingertips.

“I didn’t even realize I was… I’m fine,” she said, a bit dazed as the throbbing started up in her head. She had been running on adrenaline and didn’t even register that she had been injured until that moment.

“Is there somewhere dry where we could start a fire?” Cecily asked, her body tensing as she watched Mara.

“Uh… the garage, I guess… there are some metal bins in there I pull out to burn leaves. Just crack the door open,” Mara dully, her eyes still fixed on her bloody fingertips.

“Mar,” Embry said, looking up at her in worry. Mara shook her head and glanced down at him before looking over to see Demetri and Cecily were gone.

“Where did they go?” she asked.

“They have to burn the body parts,” Embry said. “It’s the only way to truly kill a vampire.” Mara’s eyes widened. Embry then looked over at her and reached out, pulling her to his chest. “Though it seemed Cess was struggling a bit…”

“What?” she asked.

“Blood. She was only turned a few years ago,” he replied. Mara nodded, still appearing dazed.

“Mara, sit. Let me look you over,” he said. Mara sat down next to him as Embry reached out and started moving her hair out of the way so he could get a better look. There were several cuts along her cheek, but most of the blood was coming from a gash just under her hairline. He felt around and found a large bump on the back of her head. Mara winced in pain.

“How did you know?” she asked.

“Demetri and Cess figured it out. After we killed the first one, he could still sense the same register. He figured there was another one out there,” Embry said.

“He said they were identical twins… and that… the other one… he didn’t kill anyone,” Mara said, still clearly in shock.

“I was worried about that. The other one, he seemed shocked when we gave chase. Tried to get Demetri to listen to him,” Embry said. “We caught him too easily… the other was much harder to track. Now I see it was because there were two of the same scents messing us up.”

“But how did you know he would come after me?” Mara asked.

“I remembered the night on the beach,” he said. “Once we figured out there were two, I knew that he would come here.”

“It’s over now, right?” Mara asked. “For real this time?”

“Yea, it is now,” he said. “Do you have a first aid kit? I need to clean up these cuts.”

“In the kitchen,” Mara murmured, still staring straight ahead. Embry stood, tying the blanket around his waist as he walked over to the kitchen. “Under the sink…” He bent down and opened a cabinet, finding a white plastic box. He then turned and started over to the couch.

“Well that’s taken care of,” a voice said. Mara jumped, seeing Demetri now seated in a chair calmly. “Good to see you again, Mara. Though I’m sorry I did not introduce myself before. I am Demetri and this is my mate Cecily.”

“Please don’t kill me,” Mara said immediately, what color was left in her face quickly draining as Embry sat next to her, laying out the kit on her coffee table.

“Why would we kill you?” Cecily said, now standing at his side. She seemed to be much calmer than before.

“Because I know what you are,” she replied. Cecily glanced down at Demetri, the two sharing a look.

“We don’t kill humans,” Demetri said. Embry frowned at him. “Anymore. Have you not noticed my change in eye color?”

“Red talk you into going vegetarian?” Embry replied, glancing at him as he poured some peroxide onto a piece of gauze.

“I have seen the errors of my way,” Demetri replied calmly.

“You’ve killed humans before?” Mara asked.

“Had to eat,” Demetri said. Cecily rolled her eyes and sat on the arm of the chair. “But as I said, I’ve learned…”

“Told him if he wanted to be with me, he would have to give a few things up,” Cecily replied, smiling down at him. Mara then looked at the woman.

“I know you,” she said, causing Cecily to look over at her. “You’re the reporter that disappeared. I read the articles.” Cecily frowned. “Don’t worry… I won’t say anything. I promise. No one would believe me anyway.”

“I’m not worried about that,” Cecily said. She glanced over at Embry. “You’re one of the pack now from what I understand.” Mara nodded and then winced as Embry began dabbing at her cheek. A gust of wind blew more rain into the house, causing Mara to look over at it. “Got any tarp? We should cover that up until you can get it fixed.”

“In the garage, I think,” Mara replied. Cecily and Demetri were gone.

“I’ll see if some of the guys can come out tomorrow and get that fixed for you,” Embry said, continuing his work.

“Thanks,” Mara said.

“Sorry about destroying your house,” Embry said. Mara glanced at him, a smile starting to appear despite the fact that her cuts still stung as he cleaned them.

“I’d rather have a destroyed house than be dead,” she replied. Embry looked around the living room.

“It is a nice place,” he said. “You said it was your grandmother’s?”

“Yea,” Mara said. “Though it’s a bit big for just one person… good size for two, maybe.” Embry stopped cleaning up her face, staring at Mara as a smile tugged as his lips.

“You wouldn’t be asking me to move in, would you?” he asked. Mara shrugged.

“You’ll need a place to stay,” she said. “And it’s better than a dorm or piece of shit studio near the university. Plus, I might need a bodyguard again…” Embry chuckled.

The howling of the wind suddenly died down and the two looked over, seeing a large tarp moving slightly as Cecily and Demetri walked back to the living room.

“Should be good for now,” Cecily said, smiling. “Until you can get someone out to fix it.”

“Could I get you guys some tea? Or something to drink?” Mara asked, suddenly remembering her manners. Demetri chuckled.

“They don’t need food or anything,” Embry said. Mara nodded slowly.

“Right,” she said. “Vampires. Still learning.”

“Stay put. I’ll get some tea, you’re injured,” he said, standing.

“So are you,” Mara said, looking up at him. Though she noticed he no longer seemed in pain and was moving a lot more easily.

“We heal pretty quickly,” he said, walking to the kitchen and looking around in the cabinets for mugs and tea. Mara looked over at her guests, shifting slight on the sofa.

“We can replace the table,” Cecily said. Mara shrugged and smiled.

“It’s fine… been meaning to get a new one anyway,” she said.

“So, what are you going to tell the Volturi?” Embry asked from the kitchen.

“Don’t think there is any reason to tell them anything,” Demetri said. “The threat has been taken care of. I only check in every few months as it is.”

A few minutes later, Embry walked back with two mugs, handing one to Mara, who accepted it and took a sip. She then looked down at her sopping clothes and then over at Embry, who had sat down and was still wearing her blanket like a skirt.

“God, I’m… I think I have some clothes that might fit you,” she said, putting her mug on the table as she stood quickly. She faltered a bit, dizziness hitting her.

“Mara, sit,” Embry ordered.

“No… need to change. I’ll be right back,” she said, walking over to the stairs in the foyer and making her way up them. Embry frowned, watching her go.

“Seems a stubborn one,” Demetri commented with a smirk. Embry sighed.

“She is,” he said. “I’m worried about that head wound. Doesn’t need stitches but it’s going to hurt like a sonofabitch for a bit.”

“Should she go to a hospital?” Cecily asked. “I mean, it would be easy to play it off with the storm.”

“Pretty sure she won’t let me,” he said, glancing over at the couple. “Is it really okay that she knows? I don’t want the Volturi coming out for her.”

“She should be safe. All the others that your pack have imprinted on know,” Demetri said. “The Volturi aren’t concerned with shapeshifters at the moment.” Though Cecily frowned.

“What is it?” Embry asked, sitting up.

“Well… if you want her to forget, there may be a way,” she started. Demetri looked up at her.

“Are you sure you want to do that?” he asked. “You said you didn’t want to use it any more than reasonable.”

“It could keep her safe,” Cecily replied.

“What?” Embry asked. Cecily looked over at him.

“I have the ability to compel people,” she said. “I was very good a persuasion as a human - getting people to talk to me and such - so it manifested as this gift.” Embry was silent a few moments, thinking it over.

“You could compel her to forget about vampires,” he said. Cecily nodded.

“If that’s what you want,” she replied. Embry sat back on the sofa, thinking it over. It was true that it could keep her safe from the Volturi – and he did not like the idea of chancing another run-in with them. But at the same time, he was happy that there were no secrets between the two. He wasn’t sure he wanted to change that.

“Can I think about it?” he asked, glancing up at them.

“Of course,” Cecily said. “You don’t have to decide now.”

“But the sooner, the better,” Demetri said. “Before she learns much more. Otherwise it’ll be more difficult to undo.”

“Got it,” he said with a sigh.

“We should get back. Let Rose and Emmett know what’s going on,” Cecily said. “Call us if you need anything. We can be back in no time.” Embry nodded.

“Until next time,” Demetri said as he stood and the couple left.

Embry sighed as he laid his head back against the sofa, thinking it over. Did he want to mess around with Mara’s memories? He knew Sam would want him to do it immediately without fully thinking through the possibilities. Jacob would probably say to do what he felt was right.

“Where did they go?” Mara asked, stepping back into the living room with an armful of towels and clothes. Embry looked over at her, assessing her state. She had pulled her hair up into a bun and was now wearing heather grey cotton shorts and a matching shirt. The right side of her face was still cut up and a bruise was starting to appear around her temple, but the blood was completely cleaned up and looked to have stopped.

Her brown eyes were wide, questioning.

“Needed to get back,” Embry said. Mara nodded as she walked over to him and handed him a towel and pair of athletic shorts that looked a bit big.

“My cousins come over to do their laundry from time to time. They leave things. Hope it fits,” she said.

“Thanks,” Embry said, standing as he took them and pulled them on then grabbed a towel and started running it over his head. Mara dropped down onto the sofa, looking deflated.

“Well that was a night,” she muttered. Embry paused, looking over at her.

“How’s your head?” he asked.

“I’ll need some aspirin before bed,” she said, staring ahead at the TV. She then looked up at him. “You sure they won’t come after me again?” He sighed and sat next to her, taking her small hands into his.

“We don’t have to worry about the Volturi. Demetri won’t tell them. And they really could care less about us – shapeshifters,” he said. “The other vampires… they know that this is Cullen territory. They wouldn’t be stupid or rash enough to challenge that.”

“But Marcus did,” she said.

“Not everyone is like Marcus,” Embry said. “Besides, you have me. You’ll be safe.”

“But you won’t always be around,” she said.

“Please, Mara. Don’t worry so much,” he pleaded. Mara nodded, sighing as she leaned on his shoulder and Embry wrapped his arms around her.

“Sometimes I wonder if it was better that I didn’t find out,” she said. Embry frowned. “Not about you… but the others. The vampires.”

Embry was silent, thinking it over.

“If you could forget… if there was a way, would you want to?” he asked softly. Mara frowned and looked up at him.

“What are you talking about?” she asked.

“There’s… there is a way,” he said, not meeting her eyes. “A way for you to forget.” Mara sat up.

“I thought you said there’s no such thing as witches,” she said.

“I never said that. I don’t really know if witches exist, but some vampires do have special gifts… and Cecily apparently has super persuasion,” he said.

“She can make me forget about vampires?” Mara asked. Embry nodded, his jaw tense. “Do you want me to forget?” He sighed.

“I… it’s up to you. If you want to,” he said. “I can get Cess back to take care of it.” Mara looked down at her hands, thinking it over. “And you don’t have to decide right now.” She nodded, once again putting her head on his shoulder and wrapping her arms around him.

“I think for now… I just want to stay like this…”


	17. Next Moves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that the immediate threat is over, what comes next?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own any of the characters or previous story from Twilight, but I do own the original characters and this story.
> 
> Setting: Post-books/movies  
> Pairing: Embry/OC  
> Genre: Drama/Romance/Mystery/Action  
> Rating: M (Language, Sexual Situations, Mention of violence)

Mara groaned as she opened her eyes and looked around the room. Her head was heavy as she rubbed her eyes, feeling as though her brain had been replaced with cotton. There was a dull throb in the back of her head. She then stared up at the ceiling, frowning as she tried to think back over the night before. She reached out and felt the bed empty next to her.

Where was Embry? He had been there, right?

She then sat up slowly and reached for her phone on the nightstand. There was a message from Richard asking about the storm damage and telling her he’d see her on Monday.

“Storm damage?” she muttered as she got out of bed.

She then turned towards her slightly open bedroom door, hearing noise from downstairs. She quickly made her way down the hall and the stairs, stopping as she walked into the living room.

“Thought you might sleep a bit later,” Embry said, smiling from where he stood in the kitchen. “Breakfast isn’t quite ready yet.” Mara blinked and looked towards the gaping hole in the back of her house where a pair of French doors used to be. The sun was shining through as she saw Jacob, Paul and Quil joking around in the backyard, surrounded by wood, doors, and various other implements they would use to fix up the house. The dining area had already been cleared and she wondered where her table was.

“They got here an hour ago. Should have it fixed up by tonight,” Embry said. Mara nodded silently as she walked over and pulled out a stool then sat down at the island. A pounding started again in her head as she tried to think back to what had exactly happened the night before. She remembered the storm. Vague recollections of glass and wood flying. Her dining table being destroyed by something.

Her head smacking into the wall as glass and wood cut her face. She hadn’t looked in a mirror, but if she looked anything like she felt, it probably wasn’t pretty.

“How are you feeling?” Embry asked, his brow furrowed in concern as he sat a mug of coffee in front of her. Mara stared at it a moment.

“I… what exactly happened last night?” she asked, looking up at him. Embry pursed his lips together, not saying anything at first.

“What do you remember?” he asked.

“The doors blowing in. My table being destroyed… being out in the rain,” she murmured. She looked over into the living room.

“You got hit in the head pretty hard,” he replied. Mara looked back over at him.

“I did?” she asked.

“Flying debris,” he said. Mara nodded and looked back out into the backyard, struggling to power through the haze that filled her mind. A wolf. And then… three others… pale skin…

Her eyes then widened as it all came flooding back.

“Marcus,” she said. She looked over at Embry. “He came here looking for me. And then you, Demetri and Cecily killed him.”

Embry sighed in relief.

He had been worried about the head wound. Mara had fallen asleep on the couch and he carried her upstairs. Part of him worried that he should have taken her to the hospital just to make sure that she hadn’t had a concussion. He didn’t really sleep at all, constantly checking on her throughout the night, even shaking her awake a few times, though she would just peer up at him through bleary eyes and go back to sleep, muttering incoherently about vampires and wolves.

They had talked a bit more about Cecily’s gift before she fell asleep. But Mara had said no. She wanted to remember everything. That even if it terrified her at times, she needed to know.

“God, how did I manage to forget that for a few minutes?” she asked, reaching for the coffee and sipping it. “And how did Richard know about the damage?”

“He called last night to check on you when reports started coming in about serious damage all over the area. I filled him in and he said to have you take the day off,” Embry replied. Mara nodded.

“Guess that cat is out of the bag,” she replied.

“Yea,” he said, smiling. Mara then stood and walked over to the back, stepping out on the part of the deck that was left undamaged.

“How early did you guys leave this morning?” she asked, shielding her eyes from the sun.

“Too early,” Paul replied. “I hope you’re planning on paying us with a lot of food.” Mara’s eyes widened as she realized she didn’t have anything in her fridge.

“I went to the store as soon as I got up,” Embry said, stepping up to her side.

“Must have been a big fight,” Quil said. “You look like hell.”

Mara reached up, her fingertips grazing her cheek where she felt the grooves of cuts across it. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to look in the mirror.

“I was worried about Embry,” she said, glancing over at him.

“Why am I not surprised?” Paul replied, laughing as he rolled his eyes. “But I must say that’s a nice shiner.”

“Not the first,” she replied, smiling slightly. Though she immediately grimaced as the action pulled at the cuts and the entire right side of her face felt tender. “I’ll be fine.”

“Definitely got a strong one,” Quil said, smiling.

“Come on. You should eat. Let these guys get back to work,” Embry said, pulling her back into the house. “You can compare battle stories later.”

Mara moved to sit at the island as Embry walked over to the stove and started loading up a plate with food. He then turned and sat it in front of her. Mara’s eyes widened.

“You do realize that I’m not a wolf,” she said, glancing up at him.

“Habit,” he replied, returning to the stove to make up his own plate. Mara stared at the plate a moment before picking up a fork and starting to dig into a steaming pile of biscuits and gravy. The first bite, she closed her eyes and moaned in happiness.

“I could get used to this,” she said after opening her eyes and looking at Embry. “What else do you cook?”

“Don’t get too excited. My repertoire is rather scant,” he said.

“Suppose I can fill in the gaps,” Mara replied. She took a few more bites before her phone started buzzing on the countertop. She looked over at it, frowning. “Mom.”

“You should answer it,” he said. Mara raised an eyebrow at him. “She’s probably worried after the storm. She’s called several times already.” Sighing, she reached out and picked it up.

“Hey, Mom,” she said.

“Are you okay?” her mother asked, panic in her voice. “I heard your neighborhood got the worst of the storm and nearly drove over there when you didn’t answer.” Mara looked over at the back.

“Well… blew out the French doors,” she said.

“WHAT!”

“I’m fine, Mom. It’s fine,” Mara said.

“I’m coming over right now,” her mother said.

“No,” Mara said immediately, her eyes widening.

“Seriously?! Are you hurt?” she asked.

“Some cuts, but I’m okay,” Mara said. “I, ah, I wasn’t alone.” There was silence.

“Embry there?” her mother asked.

“Yea… he surprised me by coming up late last night,” Mara said, looking over at him. Embry held an amused look on his face. “But he was here and helped me take care of it. Our friends are outside right now fixing it.”

“Well, good thing he was there,” her mother said. “And you’re sure that you’re not hurt badly?”

“Mom, I’m fine,” Mara said. “Richard gave me the day off so I could take care of everything.”

“That was kind of him,” she replied. “So, I’ll drop by around lunch, then?”

“MOM!”

“Should I bring something? I’ll stop by that Italian place you love and get a few pizzas. How many are out working on the house?” her mother continued.

“You are not coming over! I have it handled!” Mara shouted, now frowning.

“Guess I’ll just get three larges just in case. Be there around noon.” Mara groaned and rolled her eyes.

“Better make six. These guys can eat a lot,” she said, giving in.

“Perfect. Love you, Mars Bar,” she said before hanging up.

“She’s coming?” Embry asked before taking a bite.

“Yes. With pizza,” Mara said.

“Sounds good.”

“Are you sure you want to meet my mother? Today?” Mara asked, an incredulous look on her face.

“I’m sure she’ll love me,” Embry said, smirking. Mara rolled her eyes.

“This is just… perfect,” she said, returning her attention to her food.

“It’ll be fine. Surely, she’s not worse than a vampire,” he said. Mara just stared at him. “Relax, Mar.”

“She’s going to ask you a lot of questions and she will embarrass me,” she stated.

“Isn’t that what parents do? And I know how to handle questions. Moms love me,” he replied. Mara rolled her eyes again.

“Fine… if you’re so confident…”

~~~

After breakfast, Embry settled Mara on the sofa after forcing her to take some aspirin for her headache and then headed out to the yard to start helping with the repairs. Thankfully he had only knocked out the doors and the framing was still intact. Would make it a lot easier to fix.

The deck would require a bit more work and nearly all her patio furniture would need replacing, but Cess had stopped by that morning with an envelope of money for that. Embry’s eyebrows rose when he counted it after she left, wondering just how much the Cullens spent on furniture normally. He could furnish an entire house with the amount she had given him.

“Looks like Mara got hit pretty bad!” a neighbor shouted over the fence. Embry looked over, noticing a middle-aged couple picking up branches and other storm debris around their yard. They were curiously watching the group of men, all hard at work with their shirts off despite the fall bite to the air.

“Yea… blew in the doors and messed up the deck,” he replied.

“You friends of hers?” the woman asked, a friendly smile on her face.

“Uh, yea. I’m, ah, Mara’s boyfriend. From out of town. Called in some of my friends to help fix things up,” he said, stepping over to the fence as he heard Paul and Quil chuckling behind him. He knew it was going to get hell for that later.

The woman’s face lit up.

“That’s wonderful,” she replied. “I’m Denise and this is my husband Charles. We’ve known Mara for years… She’d come over to visit her grandmother a lot before she died, god rest her soul.”

“Embry,” he replied, figuring it wouldn’t hurt to get to know the neighbors. Especially if he was going to be seeing them a lot.

“Just how did those doors blow in? And the deck?” Charles asked, studying the back of the house. “The wind was bad but didn’t think it was that bad. Granted I couldn’t hear a damn thing over the storm.”

Embry glanced back at Mara’s house and then back over at the couple.

“We’re not sure either. One minute we’re in the kitchen cooking and the next, the doors had exploded. We put up a tarp and didn’t get a good look at it until this morning. Got some water damage in the dining room as well,” he said, hoping the excuse was enough. Too many details and the couple would get suspicious.

“Shame… such a beautiful house,” Denise said. “But looks like you guys are doing a good job at putting it back together. And hopefully no one got hurt.”

“Mar got a bit of the glass and bumped her head, but she’s fine. Just inside resting at the moment,” Embry said. Denise nodded and smiled.

“Well, you tell her that we’re happy she’s okay. If you need anything, any help or what have you, let us know. We’ve got two teenage sons that we can send over to help clean up the yard if you need it,” she said. “They’re both currently grounded and we’re running out of jobs to punish them with.” The couple chuckled as Embry smiled and nodded.

“I think we’ve got it covered, though could probably put them to work on the yard while we finish up the doors and deck,” he said.

“We’ll send them over as soon as they get up. School’s out for the storm,” Charles said. With a nod, the couple returned to their work as Embry walked back over to the guys.

“Seems someone is getting settled,” Paul said, a grin on his face. Embry laughed softly.

“I am going to be spending a lot of time here,” he said. “Might as well make sure that the neighbors know who I am.”

“That so?” Quil asked.

“Yea… I think Mara asked me to move in last night,” Embry said. All three men stopped what they were doing and gaped at him.

“Seriously?” Paul asked. Embry nodded.

“Makes sense. It’s not a bad drive from here to the university. And makes it easier for me – not having to find an apartment. And she’s got the space. I’d prefer to be here than worrying about paying rent for a shitty place,” he said. “The house is paid for, but I’ll be working so I can pitch in with utilities and food.”

“Good thing. Her food bill is about to go way up,” Paul replied.

“It’s a bit fast, isn’t it?” Quil asked.

“Maybe for a normal couple. But it’s still a few months off. And Mara and I… we’re not a normal couple,” Embry said, starting to grin a bit. He looked over at Jacob, who had been quiet through the whole exchange. At first his expression was unreadable, but then he smiled.

“I’m happy for you,” he said finally. He looked up at the house. “And as far as places to live go… you could do worse. A whole lot worse. This place is massive. How does she afford to live here?”

“Like I said, her grandmother left it to her. And a lot of money, apparently, though she says she mostly lives off her salary and uses the inheritance as savings and for the house upkeep since it’s a little bit more than what she can afford as a reporter,” Embry said. The three men looked at him. “Her grandmother was D.B. Winters.”

“The mystery novelist?” Quil asked. Embry nodded.

“Shit, I didn’t realize Mara was so rich,” Paul said in awe. Embry looked to the ground, his cheeks turning a little pink. The money conversation they had over breakfast after the call from her mom had been a bit awkward, to say the least. But it had come up when he started getting into the details about moving in. He wanted to cover his share of things and needed to know what Mara spent a month on things. And in the spirit of no secrets, Mara had to tell him.

“She doesn’t like people to know,” he replied. “And she swears it’s not as much as you think.”

“She going to show you the bank accounts or waiting until just before the wedding?” Paul quipped. Embry rolled his eyes. “Never thought Embry Call would be a kept man.”

“I’m still taking care of med school and everything else on my own,” Embry replied, bending down to pick up a door. He started towards the deck to see how it fit in the frame.

“Lay off,” Jacob said, finally coming to his rescue as Paul and Quil cackled as they started to work again. He walked up next to Embry. “Sorry about that… I get it.”

Embry glanced over at him, remembering Nessie. The Cullens were rich. Super rich. He was sure that had created a few awkward conversations as Nessie got older. Now that she had reached full maturity and their relationship shifted, there were bound to be even more.

“You get used to it?” Embry asked.

“We always knew how rich the Cullens were. But it was a bit different when I started dating Nessie,” he replied. Then then gave Embry a reassuring smile. “But it’ll work out. And it’ll work out with you and Mara.”

Embry looked into the house, seeing Mara watching the news on TV.

“Yea, it will…”

~~~

Mara settled on the sofa with another mug of coffee as she turned on the TV. The guys were still outside, the sound of saws and hammering along with laughter drifting inside.

She had some time until her mother showed up to relax. Or worry. She still wasn’t sure how to explain why she was so close with a guy she literally just met. Or how to explain that he would be moving in with her in a few months. She and Embry had decided not to mention that fact today – it was the first time they were meeting after all – and she didn’t worry about him bringing it up. She was more worried that Paul or Quil would mention something.

Mara flipped through channels, stopping on the news. Putting the remote down, she settled into the cushions, watching as it went through a rundown of the storm and damage around the city. Her mother was right. Her area had gotten the worst of it. She was surprised they even had power.

A look around outside showed downed trees and other damage at nearby houses. Mara was happy to hear that none of her neighbors had noticed the brawl in her backyard or anything unusual. Wouldn’t do to have them asking questions about a giant wolf or the three people moving at lightning speed.

“And in other news, another body was found in South Park, bringing the count up to three. Police are boggled by the case, though say they are fully dedicated to finding the culprit,” the anchor said. “All the bodies were found drained of blood…”

Mara’s heart stopped as she felt cold fear starting to spread through her. She turned the volume up, leaning forward. Surely these were just old victims of Marcus’. He could have come to Seattle and killed them when he wasn’t in Forks.

She didn’t want to think of the other option. That there was another vampire in Seattle.

She glanced over towards the back, seeing the guys hard at work, though Embry had stepped over to the fence as was talking to her neighbors. She then looked back at the TV as her phone buzzed.

“Hello,” she said, not looking at it as she was transfixed by the news.

“Mar,” Richard said. “I know I’ve given you the weekend off, but there’s a story I want you to jump on when you get back. Simmons is the lead, but-”

“Let me guess. Odd neck wounds. Bodies drained of blood,” Mara said dully.

“How did you know?”

“Just watching the news,” she said.

“You’ve proven yourself with the Forks case,” he said. “So, I want you to start researching this while you’re at home. And well… can’t help but wonder if they might be related. Both are just really weird.”

“But that was an animal,” she said quickly.

“I know, but I think you might have been on to something. The similarities are too great to not at least look into. You game?” he asked.

Mara was silent a few moments, taking a deep breath and slowly let it out as steel entered her eyes.

“I’m in.”


End file.
